Environmental Justice U.S. began trying to decrease pollution in the early 1970s. o Most of it was a remarkable good job.

Ex: the air in Los Angeles Around the 1990s, political movement have been emerged to try to ensure all communities dont bear proportionate share of pollution, called the Environmental Justice Movement o Try to ensure that people of all races and incomes are treated fairly o Causes governments to make new laws and regulations to take to try to take into account of concerns of environmental justice People wear trying to find the reason why there were more pollution in such places that have a certain race or income o Some possible reasons: Land is cheaper in those areas Houses are closer to each other People does not have much of a voice in certain areas, or choose not to use their voice Its a long way to go for all people of all races and incomes to live in a place with equally clean air, water and land

External Costs Cost of pollution cleanup is irrelevant o If the production cost of a company can be minimize by dumping waste into areas that is free, then they would do it Negative pollution effects = external costs (which gets passed onto our society and environment) Supply curve = related to private production cost Product demand yields price and quantity Social curve adds external cost due to pollution When the government taxes companies for pollution, they are correcting the difference between private and social outcomes Taxes are used against companies to reduce pollution

Cost Benefits Ideally one would like to live in a world with zero pollution Technology cannot achieve that outcome at a reasonable economical level o It is necessary to indicate the level of pollution reduction that is beneficial and cost efficient In the past, social cost was low o Now that pollution reduction is near 100%, the social cost rises rapidly o If pollution reduction increase then social benefits will decrease The intersection of the two curves are called: Optimal Point (Optimum Cost-Benefit) If pollution levels are not high in an area, then not much money will have to be spent in that area to reduce pollution Cost curve shifts outward due to the improvement of technologies = increases pollution reduction

Story of Broke People often control how much they spent for further usage, but they cannot control the big chunk of their paycheck going off to the government Taxes are used to invest in a better future o But the government still claims that we are broke Causes schools, EPA, society security, and medicare to be reduce The available money gets reduced by cooperate tax loopholes and unprecedented tax breaks for the richest 1% $726 billion in 2011 goes into our military o On fighter planes that is not needed and wars with no end Hundreds of billions of that amount of tax money go to propping up the dinosaur economy o Aka the system that was mention in the story of stuff o The one that produces more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any other on Earth o Keeping the system on life support instead of producing something that is better Subsidy a giveaway that gives some companies a lift over others Beneficial when helping companies that are building a better future Unfortunately, the government is doing the opposite o Subsidies are found everywhere along the dinosaur economy Spends the subsides: gives our money away Into payments that benefit big agribusiness, but bad to family own business Foots bills for things corporation should pay for themselves o Ex: cleaning up toxic chemical spills o giant livestock manure ponds o roads that go to only one place o paying for pollution and wasteful garbage incinerators that would never make financial sense to build on their own Tax subsidies: excuse big corporations from contributing their fair share o Ex: enormous tax break granted to oil and gas companies o These subsides amount to billions of dollars we should be collecting and putting to good use Risk transfer subsidies: government acts as an investment bank or an insurance company for corporations doing risky things (such as building nuclear reactors) o When trouble strikes, normal people have to cover for them Freebie subsidies: government gives stuff that belongs to all of use to corporations for cheap or even free Externalized costs: could amount to trillion of dollars. Includes the damage to the environment, public health and the climate that this dinosaur economy causes Everyone pays with the loss clean air and water or increased cancer and asthma when those who were supposed to pay does not pay Not enough to pay our bills when all the subsidies are gone People who were against oil subsidies did not gained that much money compared to people who sided with it Subsidies were supposed to help all of use, but instead it became a prize for those with the most power to get on the handout list

Tax payers have most power over the taxes = things can change Money spent on oil and gas subsidies can go into renewable energy and energy efficiency instead By investing in things that are more bio-friendly, it will increase jobs and decrease pollution