Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Past Due Invoice


Watch WE THE ECONOMY - A Bee's Invoice: The Hidden Value in Nature on Vimeo.


Jeff pointed me to this interesting website that presents a number of engaging films about a potentially dry subject: economics. Or as the website says more fundamentally: money.
 https://wetheeconomy.com/

 Check out one of the films above.  It's about the economic value of nature.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

We Don't Got You Babe



The Salton Sea is an emblem of the Anthropocene.  Accidentally created by humans it is only maintained as a byproduct of the runoff from our irrigated agriculture.  Once a playground for the rich and famous it is now heavily polluted and largely desolate.  And yet it has become a very important link in the habitat chain used by migrating birds.  However, the end of the Salton Sea may be near as California suffers under a prolonged drought and demand for a dwindling supply of water increases.  Check out this brief info-graphic rich story from the LA times.

For a longer, more comprehensive treatment of this peculiar part of America, check out Imperial by William T. Vollmann.



Week 4


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

What price water?





Fundamentally, the price of something reflects an interaction between its supply and how much people want it (....its demand).  That simple statement subsumes a whole lot of complexity that in practice can make either predicting the future price of things  difficult, or subverts the relationship between supply and demand.  This interesting recent article in the NYT argues that the price of water is too cheap.....particularly for farmers. 
http://nyti.ms/1EVGzg5

Eduardo Porto argues that the way water is distributed and sold makes it very difficult to manage and conserve water in the face of increasing demand and dwindling supply.  For example, in drought stricken CA many residents of Sacramento get charged a flat rate no matter how much water they use.

On the other hand, there are a number of compelling reasons for why water is not treated just like another commodity.  Many people feel that access to water is a fundamental human right.  Also, the cheap water that farmers have access too comes with some big societal benefits, namely cheap food.  What do you think?

Friday, October 10, 2014

A forest in a box?

For some, the industrialization and commodification of agriculture over the last 100 years or so has not been a good thing.  Even if you fall into that camp, it can still be good to keep an open mind about the value of industrial engineering.  Often, just a shift in goals and attitude can make a big difference.  Check out this talk by Shubhendu Sharma