NTRES 2201 1st Edition Lecture 8Outline of previous lectureI. Environmental movementA) ContextII. Goals/mainstream environmental groupsIII. Environmental justiceIV. Radical environmentalismV. Deep ecologyVI. Community and natural resourcesOutline of current lectureI. RemindersII. CommunityIII. Resource-dependent communitiesA) Poverty in the most of plentyB) EconomicsC) EnvironmentIV. Resource dependence and community well-beingCurrent lectureI. Reminders*Place journal due in discussion*Exam: examined a few example tests to see if they were graded too difficultly-All tests will be raised by 8% to make up for it *Don’t take yourself too seriously… get help if you feel like you are really strugglingII. Community*Defined by1) Local territory-Different types of community in different locations-Small dairy farms vs giant grazing systems in west (related to resource availability)-Some argue that a local territory is not important in virtual/online communities-Professor: this is important when discussing the environment2) Local society-By society we mean “structure”-These quite often are related to a place (a town’s government)3) Social interaction (and purposeful interaction)These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.-Interaction that is about the place-Because the community has shared interests, common good-That doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone agrees on how things should be dealt with… more that everyone is concerned with the issue, it is a pointof discussionIII. Resource-dependent communitiesA) Poverty in the most of plenty*These types of places tend to not be very well off-Poverty/welth-Divorce rate-Crime rates*Explanations1) Capital theory-People try to maximize utility-We can forgo current consumption for future consumption-Probably why we are here#Students investing now for many reasons:*Higher future income*A feeling of satisfaction for being informed*Meeting a spouse-Maximizing utility is not necessarily just income#Lifestyle-This works at the community level too#Communities make decisions to invest in themselves-Rational underinvestment in human capital#The cause of this phenomenon#This type of work doesn’t require much investment in human capital #Coming right out of high school, say you have the opportunity to make 100,000 a year... logically we will consider it over education#Individuals deciding to/to not make this investment#People in communities with abundant natural resources tend to decide not to make this investment#This means vulnerability-Example: in 2008 housing recession, communities dependent on timbervulnerable2) Power and natural resources bureaucracy -High status groups influence how resources are used/distributed-Tend to favor some groups over others-A single fir will sometimes control an entire resource in an area-Ithaca’s industry is education#Cornell has a huge influence over all of Ithaca#Cornell and IC can basically do what they want#In fact, they do not have to pay property taxes-This overwhelming power is greater if it’s an industry that can pack up and leave-Race to the bottom3) Industry structure4) FramingB) Economics*Resource-dependent communities may cause environmental issues through extraction of their resource, but it is needed for growth and development*Save the environment vs give jobs to people who are poor and need them*This is a version of environmental justice*The image of rural imaged being dependent on resources is important and very strong-Not just because we need oil, gas, copper, etc-Also because these resources create jobsC) Environment*Flip side: preservation helps spur economic decline (it is selfish)-Care more about trees than needy people*Only 5% of jobs are in these jobs-Weirdly enough, hardly anybody in rural communities work in these fields*Yeah, buts:-Economic multipliers#However, circulation is limited-These jobs are better (higher paying)#Tends to be true#However, they tend to not be all that stableIV. Resource dependence and community well-being*In developed and developing world:-The percent of people in natural resource jobs (higher dependence on said resource) correlates to lower well-being-Well-being can be defined by employment rate, housing market, income, etc*What do we do to bring prosperity?-Some argue that opening shale extraction (or similar) is the answer-But is Louisiana the center of wealth around its oil extraction?-Be suspicious*Boomtown-Resource dependence (especially on energy) creates a boomtown effect-Temporary benefits#Employment for extraction workers, motel workers, people who make equipment, etc-Fundamental points1) Who gets these jobs?#White pickup trucks from Texas, Louisiana, etc#Coming in from places where the boom has already happened#May pay lower wages than others in the energy sector#However, may pay better than the jobs these people had been working#Result: losing workers to the energy sector2) Strain on infrastructure#Roads, water systems, community services etc#What is the solution? Buy more ambulances, pay for repair?#Many towns may not have the expertise to deal with it3) Social impacts#Rise in crime*Almost perfect correlation between drilling and arrests#Social disorganization (crime and accidents)#Workers coming in tend to be young, single men*Demographically a nightmare*Make a bunch of money and have no interest in investing in the community4) Bust#Community decision-makers*Make investments initially*But then everyone leaves after the bust and you’re