Course:ECON371/UBCO2024WT1/Reflections/Example
My First Reflection
[NOTE: This example is about half the length expected.]
I have been a big fan of Dr. David Suzuki. I've heard him speak once in person, and several times in videos and podcasts. When I started attending this class, I believed that Dr. Suzuki's criticism of economists was accurate. That criticism basically says that economists, by and large, are responsible for the environmental problems of the world. It is argued that economics treats the environment as an externality to the economy, and ignores it in the pursuit of profit and growth.
Participating in this class has forced me to see the relationship between the economy and the environment as more complex. In particular, it is clear that economists don't ignore externalities. It has also forced me to think about the tradeoffs involved when we try to protect the environment. All the choices we make have impacts. The question is what impacts we can accept. And we are not all the same. I really want to protect the environment. I am scared about what the world will be like in another couple of decades. I have not thought much about how protecting the environment the way I want to may harm other people, and therefore those other people won't agree.
The way economics typically represents people as being rational and maximizing 'utility', or some notion of happiness, is useful. It provides some very believable explanations of some of the environmental challenges we have. That people only think of the impact of their choices on themselves and don't think about the impact their choices have on others 'works', but it doesn't really sit well with me. I care about other people. I put litter into a trash can, even when there is no way anybody can see me littering. I think that people are more complex than these simple models.
Overall, my experience with this course so far has given me a new perspective on how the environment is treated in economics. It isn't as simple as I thought. The way that environmental issues are analyzed is useful. However, I don't think it is complete. I look forward to the second half of the course. I hope we will explore some of the things that are leaving me unsatisfied.