September 2000 Fraser Forum: Five Ways to be a Better Environmentalist
A caller on a radio show recently asked a high profile environmental activist what she could do, in her everyday life, to help protect the planet. I’m sure other listeners had the same question after being told a few minutes earlier that humans have been so reckless in caring for the environment that it is as if we are headed at 90 miles an hour towards a brick wall while arguing about who should drive. But instead of responding with some constructive advice, the activist went on a tirade, chastising the caller for wanting quick solutions to difficult problems. I think the caller deserves a better answer, so here are my 5 suggestions for how to be a better environmentalist.
#1: Support non-profit conservation groups
There are hundreds of non-profit organizations in Canada working to protect the environment by using donations to buy or lease land. Ironically, precisely because they are more concerned with direct conservation than with lobbying governments and alarming the public, their important contribution towards preserving Canada’s wildlife and wilderness often goes unrecognized. The larger non-profit conservation organizations alone now protect close to 2 million hectares of land in Canada (Jones, 1999, p. 15). They also work cooperatively with farmers and ranchers to protect wildlife. Ducks Unlimited, for example, helped introduce a full-scale test of flushing bars on haying equipment in Alberta. Sixty landowners have now agreed to use the bars, which prevent birds and other animals from being hurt during haying operations (Ducks Unlimited Canada, 1998, p. 5). Non-profit conservation activities also include events specifically aimed at funding conservation. The Baillie Birdathon, for example, is a 24-hour count of birds conducted in May across the country. It is Canada’s largest annual fundraiser for the conservation of wild birds and their habitats: since it began in 1976, the event has raised over $1.4 million for bird research and conservation (Gallant 1999). Consider supporting an organization that directly funds conservation activities that are important to you.
#2: Buy conventionally farmed produce
Contrary to popular wisdom, buying organic produce is not the best environmental choice. In fact, if the entire world decided to eat organic, the results would be disastrous for wildlife and wilderness. According to one estimate, feeding the world with organically-grown food would require that an additional 5 to 10 million square miles of land—an area twice the size of Canada— be turned into cropland (Avery, 1999, p. 3). Ploughing more land to make up for the lower yields associated with organic farming would also increase soil erosion since the additional land being ploughed would be less well-suited to cultivation (Avery, 1999, p. 4). Fortunately, organic produce is usually well labelled and easy to avoid. An added bonus of buying conventionally- grown produce is that it is usually cheaper than buying organic. An even better environmental choice may be genetically modified foods, as some of these crops are designed to require fewer pesticides than conventionally-grown crops.
#3: Support free trade and globalization
Supporting free trade helps increase incomes around the world. Studies support the idea that higher incomes lead to less pollution. According to the World Bank, pollution rates for particulate matter and sulphur dioxide begin to fall at per-capita incomes of US$3,280 and US$3,670 respectively (Goklany, 1995, p. 342). Access to safe drinking water and the availability of sanitation improve almost immediately as incomes rise. Another study done by economists Gene Grossman and Alan Krueger finds that most indicators of pollution start to fall before a country reaches a per capita income of US$8,000 (Grossman and Krueger, 1995, p. 370). Developing countries face the worst remaining environmental problems. While North Americans enjoy the luxury of worrying about infinitesimal levels of pesticide residues on our vegetables, in poor countries many people burn cow dung for fuel and do not have access to safe drinking water. A recent UN report says that a billion people in developing countries do not have access to safe drinking water, a further 2 to 3 billion do not have adequate sanitation, and 5,000 children a day die from water-borne illnesses (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/ world/newsid_676000/ 676064.stm). The surest way to solve these terrible problems is to encourage the trade and economic development that will lead to higher incomes. You can do your part by supporting politicians who lobby for freer trade and by being willing to buy foreign goods.
#4: Buy a new car
New cars generate far less pollution than old ones. Cars built in the 1990s emit 97 percent less hydrocarbons, 96 percent less carbon monoxide, and 90 percent less nitrogen oxide than cars built in the 1970s (Bast, Hill, and Rue, 1994, p. 111). If you can afford it, send your old car to the junk yard and buy a new one. If you can’t afford it, you can make sure that your old car gets regular tune-ups.
#5: Read an economics book
Environmental questions are often complex, involving costs and trade-offs. An understanding of some basic economic principles can help you think through issues in a more logical way, which will directly contribute to your ability to grapple with complex environmental topics. For example, one of the basic principles in economics is that incentives matter. Understanding this principle can help you take better environmental positions in important debates. Parliament is currently considering passing a Species at Risk Act which is supposed to help protect Canada’s wildlife. But since the Act creates the perverse incentive for landowners to view wildlife as a liability, it will likely have the opposite of its intended effect. A similar bill in the US has led many landowners to make their property unattractive to wildlife in order to protect themselves from losing the use of their property. Instead of protecting wildlife, the US bill has lead some landowners to resort to what has been called a "shoot, shovel, and shut-up" policy. Understanding the basic economic principle that incentives matter can help you distinguish those polices that actually are environment friendly from those that only sound friendly.
Bibliography
Avery, Dennis (1999). "The fallacy of the organic Utopia." Fearing Food: Risk, Health & Environment. Woburn, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Bast, Joseph, Peter Hill, and Richard Rue (1994). Eco-Sanity: A Common-Sense Guide to Environmentalism. Lanham, Maryland: Madison Books.
Ducks Unlimited Canada (1998). 1998 Annual Report. Oak Hammock Marsh, MB: Ducks Unlimited Canada.
Gallant, Gord (1999). Canadian Birding Events, 1998. Digital document:
www.interlog.com/~gallantg/canada/events.html (November 16, 1998).
Birding
Canada.
Gene Grossman and Alan Krueger (1995). "Economic Growth and the Environment." The Quarterly Journal of Economics. May.
Goklany, Indur (1995). "Richer is Cleaner." The True State of The Planet. Washington: The Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Jones, Laura (1999). Crying Wolf? Public Policy on Endangered Species in Canada. Vancouver, BC: The Fraser Institute.
Laura Jones (lauraj@fraserinstitute.ca) is Director of Environment and Regulatory Studies at The Fraser Institute. She received her M.A. in Economics from Simon Fraser University.
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