class: center, middle, inverse, title-slide # Economics and the environment ## Grant R. McDermott | University of Oregon --- ## About me --  --- ## Goals for today 1. Introduce you to some key ideas in environmental economics. 2. Show you some of the stuff that I am working on. 3. Answer any questions that you might have. --- class: inverse, center, middle # Some questions --- ## How much is a polar bear worth?  --- ## Is it good to "buy local"?  --- ## If fighting pollution is expensive, can we have too little pollution?  --- class: inverse, center, middle # Common-pool resources game --- ## Common-pool resources game (We'd normally do this live, in class. But [here's a game](https://economics-games.com/tragedy-commons) for you try in groups once you watch this lesson. After that, watch the short video below to get deeper sense of what's happening...) .center[ <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CxC161GvMPc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ] --- class: inverse, center, middle # "The Blue Paradox" --- ## Watching a marine reserve in real time <center> <video width="480" height="360" controls> <source src="pics/pipa-zoom.mp4" type="video/mp4"> </video> </center> .footnote[ <a href="http://globalfishingwatch.org/map/?redirect_login=true" target="_blank">Live session</a>. ] --- ## Motivation for the project - You are about to lose access to your preferred fishing ground. - Someone is about to take away all your fish / eat the rest of the birthday cake / etc. - What do you do? -- - My answer: "Catch all the fish while I still can!" --- ## Global Fishing Watch - GFW is a joint project started by Google and some non-profit organisations. - Offers unprecedented insight into *global* fishing activity. - Includes otherwise inaccessible locations. - GFW want to encourage citizen science and engagement. Anyone can look at the GFW data through their ([interactive map](http://globalfishingwatch.org/map/)). - Fun fact: The graphics technology used to power the map is the same used in leading video games like *World of Warcraft*, etc. --- ## A lot of data...  --- ## Cool use of machine learning  --- ## Back to the Blue Paradox - Focus on the Phoenix Island Protected Area (PIPA). - A big marine reserve in the central Pacific, about the size of California!  --- ## Main result (1) </br> </br>  --- ## Main result (2) </br> </br>  --- ## Main result (3) </br> </br>  --- ## Summary - Fishermen more than *doubled* their fishing effort in the lead up to PIPA. - Equivalent to 1.5 years of banned fishing. - Even well-intentioned policies can lead to bad outcomes. - Especially if we ignore human behaviour and incentives... the role of economics! --- ## Other, ongoing GFW projects - There are numerous other, ongoing GFW projects that I'd be happy to talk about afterwards. - E.g. Connecting overfishing and human-rights abuses on the high seas. ([Link](https://globalfishingwatch.org/research/forced-labor-in-fisheries/).) --- class: inverse, center, middle # Other projects --- ## Google Earth Engine - <a href="https://code.earthengine.google.com/6ab2cce9a768f97d613b53b80155aef0">Live session</a>. ??? - FWIW, here's a GEE script for the <a href="https://code.earthengine.google.com/21c101d3d1aa7a5ac083c9bd6cd19f8c" target="_blank">Blue Paradox</a> using GFW data. --- ## More environmental economics at UO - [Trudy Cameron](https://pages.uoregon.edu/cameron/vita/) - [Ed Rubin](http://edrub.in/index.html) - [Eric Zou](http://www.eric-zou.com/) - [TWEEDS](https://tweeds.io/)! --- ## Ex: Local air pollution & incentives <div class="figure" style="text-align: center"> <img src="pics/zou.png" alt="Zou (2021, AER)." width="65%" /> <p class="caption">Zou (2021, AER).</p> </div> --- class: inverse, center </br></br></br></br></br></br> ## Thank you! ### Questions?