Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value

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Defining Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value

Transcript of Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value

DefiningIntrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value

Extrinsic Value

• Value assigned by external factors

• Also known as Utilitarian Value

• Placing a monetary value on natural systems based on what we can get out of them or get from them.

Intrinsic Value• Can not place a monetary value on it, but has its

own inherent worth.

• Can be moral, ethical, emotional, or spiritual value.

• Do species have value even if we can’t “use” them?

• Can be experiences too…

The Value of Intact Ecosystems

Extrinsic Value of Ecosystems Intrinsic Value of Ecosystems

With a partner, put together a list of the extrinsic values or monetary value we can acquire from natural systems in Northern Arizona. Then, think about what kinds of intrinsic values that they possess.

Examples of Monetizing Nature

• Resource Extraction:

• Timber Harvests

Examples of Monetizing Nature

• Resource Extraction:

• Mineral Wealth

Examples of Monetizing Nature

• Resource Extraction:

• Farmland Conversion

Examples of Monetizing Nature

• Resource Extraction:

• Urban Development

Examples of Monetizing Nature

• Resource Extraction:

• Game Animals

Examples of Monetizing Nature

• Resource Extraction:

• Fisheries

Other Ways to Monetize Nature• But, intact ecosystems can also be given monetary

value for services they provide, even without resource extraction.

Water Retention and Filtering• Intact forested watersheds supply stable water

supplies for billions of people.

• Money is saved on water treatment plants and not building pipelines to get distant water.

New York City Watershed

Catskill Mountains Supply New York City With Water!

Cost Savings and Clean Water

• New York City saves millions of dollars per year on water treatment and delivery costs by simply protecting its watersheds from development.

New York City Water Supply

• 1 billion gallons per day delivered to more than 9 million customers.

• Some of the best tap water in America!

New York’s Calculated Watershed Value

• NYC has calculated that if the watersheds were clearcut, it would cost:

• $6 billion to build the treatment plant.

• $250 million per year to maintain the plant.

• The land is said to be worth about $1.5 billion in real estate/development value.

• A bargain compared to the services it provides the 9 million citizens of the city.

Improved Air Quality

• Forested ecosystems remove many air pollutants from nearby cities.

Removing of Pollutants

• Urban trees removed over 8.3 million pounds of toxic NO2 gas in Washington, DC in 2011.

• That is the equivalent of removing 274,000 cars from the roads and saving the city some $50 million in air clean up costs.

Millions Saved Every Year

Other Ways to Monetize Nature• Ability of wetlands to absorb floodwaters and

pollutants and protect surrounding communities.

New Jersey MeadowlandsSurrounded by 16 million people

• Absorb and breaks down pollution and storm run off from nearby industry and neighborhoods.

• Absorbs flood waters for nearby areas.

New Jersey Meadowlands

University of Washington

Other Ways to Monetize Nature

• Reduction in energy usage by shade/wind breaks of trees.

• Wave breaks of coral reefs and beaches for coastal communities

• Store of natural chemicals for human discovery and use.

• Carbon sequestration by forests

Shade Trees Reduce Cooling Costs and Energy Usage in Summer

Wind Breaks Reduce Heating Costs in Winter

• Protect soil from blowing away

• Protect plants from being exposed to drying winds

Coral Reefs Protect Coastal Communities from Wave Erosion

Intact Mangrove Forests Protect Shorelines and Absorb Storm Surges from Hurricanes

Pollinators Provide Agricultural Services

New Medicines and Chemicals

• Most of our pharmaceuticals and drugs have their basis in plant compounds.

• Protecting wild areas allows for greater opportunities to find the next wonder drug.

Pacific Yew• The Pacific Yew is a small tree that grows in

the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest.

• It was considered a “junk” tree having little economic timber value.

• Taxol is a chemical from this

tree that was found to treat

breast and ovarian cancer.

Drugs from Coral Reefs• Halaven is a drug used to save the lives of

women with late-stage breast cancer.

• It is derived from sea sponges in the coral reefs of Florida.

The Race

• Everyday new plants, fungi, and animals are being discovered in our tropical rainforests.

• There may be 3 - 10 million yet unknown species waiting to be discovered.

Pharmaceutical Scientists Vs. Timber

• Scientists are scouring the world’s forests searching for new chemical compounds before they are lost due to deforestation.

• We don’t even know how many species are going extinct before we even discover them.

• But, it is estimated that 14-30 species go extinct every day among those we do know about.

Intrinsic Value

• Nature has a value in and of itself, even if humans can not “use” it for their own benefit.

• Key Question:

• Do humans have a moral obligation to prevent the extinction of species?

• If so, why?

• What do we get out of it?

Endangered Species Act of 1973

• The American people placed an intrinsic value on all living organisms when congress passed the ESA in 1973.

• We have already decided we have a moral obligation to not let any species go extinct due to human activities.

Where Intrinsic and Extrinsic Mix

• Does Wilderness have value?

• Do we humans get something out of being able to escape the urban jungle and get away into nature?

• Is that intrinsic or extrinsic?

• Can we put a $$$ value on solitude?

Does Wilderness Have Extrinsic Value?

Can we put a $$ value on experiences? Should we?

Does Wilderness Have Intrinsic Value?

Do we have a moral obligation to protect the species around us, just because they exist?

Does Wilderness Have Extrinsic Value Too?

Can We Monetize the Value of Wilderness?

Should We?

"What's the use of a fine house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?"- Henry David Thoreau

"I feel most emphatically that we should not turn into shingles a tree which was old when the first Egyptian conqueror penetrated to the valley of the Euphrates." - Theodore Roosevelt

"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that." - Thomas Edison (1931)

God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But, he cannot save them from fools. – John Muir