Print PageEnvironmental problems are often rooted in economic activity. For example, establishment of a mine can result in forest fragmentation and pollution, cheaper market prices for fossil fuels can exacerbate climate change, and urban development can destroy wetland habitat. Therefore environmental problems are more likely to be addressed efficiently if ecologists collaborate actively with economists. At Elon University, a primarily undergraduate liberal arts institution in North Carolina, we initiated a series of interdisciplinary discussions focusing on the interface between economics and environmental issues. Four lunch discussions were held during Spring Semester 2011, and the 36 participants consisted of faculty, administration, and undergraduate students from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Communication, and Health Sciences. Participants prepared for each discussion by reading an assigned article.
2) Results/Conclusions
Discussions, which were deep, lively, and balanced, raised important questions and concerns. Perhaps the most important specific lesson for ecologists builds on the concept of economic externalities. If the true costs of environmental degradation were incorporated by markets, then the higher prices would predictably motivate most consumers to reduce their negative environmental impact. In contrast, artificially low prices hide environmental costs, which misleads consumers and often leads to further environmental degradation. Remaining puzzles for ecologists and economists include how to place an economic value on ecosystem services now and in the future, how to internalize environmental externalities so that the market price is a true reflection of the costs, and how to reconcile the need for environmental sustainability with human desire for a high standard of living.
