Threats to Forests - Science AND Economics

Natural Scientists Need to Understand Economics,

Economists Need to Understand the Natural Sciences

Those who commit their education and careers to understanding and thoughtful management of the natural environment have not given enough consideration to how to pay for sustaining the trees, soil, water, wildlife, shrubs, grass and forbs in healthy functioning communities.  They have studied the natural sciences: botany, zoology, plant physiology, wildlife biology, fish biology, forestry, hydrology, soil science, weather and on and on.  These people are science oriented, committed to studying why, what and how natural systems work together.  Most of them don’t have time to be deeply interested in economics, finance, business, or political science, yet these are vitally important to how the natural world gets managed by people.

Those who commit their education and careers to economics, finance, business or politics don’t spend much of their professional time thinking about the workings of forests and what it takes to produce the 10,000 + board feet of wood necessary to build a house.  Yet, business and financial careerists want to fly-fish a mountain stream, visit Parks, forests and lakes and have their spirits renewed.  In their calculations they want assurances that wood, food, scenery are stable and a sufficient supply will always be there. 

It’s pretty clear, the natural scientists must find ways within the economic system to pay the costs.  Those in finance and business need to acknowledge it takes reinvestment to sustain natural resources and have a continuous flow of, food, wood, water, beautiful scenery, wildlife, recreation and more into the economy.  Business people, finance people and economists must find ways to pay for sustaining natural resources or that flow of things we need from the earth (like clean water) will continue diminishing while human population and demand increases.  Not a pretty thing to think about. 

We’re all in this together and we need to be pulling together.  That word “together” has to include both people and nature.  The old idea of each person doing what is best for him or her at the moment and this will get us all more things may work for a while, but it is terminal in the long-run.  

So far, the only way we have to limit the degradation of natural resources and provide security for people is by Government action:  creating National Parks and National Forests, regulation of financial activities, food inspections, work place safety, laws setting goals for clean air and clean water - you can name several more.  We are seeing that government’s actions to provide long-term security for citizens goes far beyond having a strong military and Homeland Security, it has to include a sustainable economy from sustainable natural resources. This means limiting the damage the capitalistic economic system can do to people and the environment.  The Clean Air and Clean Water Acts of 1972 have done a lot to clean our waters and air by limiting the waste and pollution individuals and industries can dump on the public domain (our air and waters).  As important as National Parks, National Forests, wildlife refuges and regulatory laws are, they are defensive actions.   A strategic offense is needed to counter capitalism’s strategy of “short-term profits and pay no attention to sustainability.”   We don’t have much of an offense at this time.   We sure need one.

On capitalism’s plus side, besides getting more “things,” there is money to be made by thinking of new things and better ways to do things.  This system creates a population of people that is innovative, adaptable and can change quickly.  Each person is motivated to better their own situation, this seems good.  After 240 years, Capitalism has influenced every nook-and-cranny of our society, our culture and our daily life.  It is the blueprint we have used to build the standard of living we enjoy, but it’s time to recognize that while Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations book may have been ok in 1776, things have evolved and so must the foundations of economics and finance.  It’s that basic, and it needs to be done, now, and a lot of people know it, we all need to admit it.  We need to demand our politicians and experts put money into maintaining natural resources and tell the public why maintenance is necessary.  

For us common people it likely will mean we have to pay more for all those “things,” and that’s a big deal.  It may take each of us redefining what the good life is and, maybe, call-out greed for what it is, SICK-AND-WRONG.  I hope we’re willing to do it for the sake of the generations ahead.