TOPIC

NCSS STANDARDS—THEMATIC STRANDS

Standard 3: People, Places, and Environment
Standard 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption

Economic thought indicates that people take care of things that they own (and will take less care of that which they do not own) because a cost which the individual incurs by wasting something he/she specifically owns is far greater than if he/she wastes something not owned. This is true whether of Hershey Kisses, of a favorite item of a student, or even of large and valuable resources that people use daily. This simple economic concept is often overlooked— the ‘dismal science’ being seen as merely textbook ideas and not real world. Yet, decision-making is something that everyone does daily, and it rests upon ideas of choice and value— strong economic concepts.

Moreover, as environmental issues are becoming more and more prevalent in the news, in schools, and in individuals’ concerns, understanding basic components of property rights and ‘common pool’ concerns will make many environmental questions more clear. The destruction of the Aral Sea is a clear example of this “tragedy of the commons.” By understanding the events that affected the destruction of the Aral Sea, students will have a striking example from which to begin viewing other environmental issues closer to their own homes.

For middle and high school students; higher level students will benefit from some extension of the unit (see “Extension & Enrichment. The lessons could be adapted for upper level elementary grades.

The unit can be completed in three class periods.
Parts A & B -- Day 1. Part C -- Day 2; and Part D/ wrap-up -- Day 3.
Extension of activities, such as writing practice (part B), student posters (after part D), etc, will demand more time, as per teacher’s determination.

1. Have a bowl/ bag filled with Hershey’s Kisses (or other small, wrapped treat). Tell the class that each person may take out as many as he/ she wants, and then should pass it on to the next student to do the same. There should not be a limitless supply—perhaps an average of one or two pieces per student, knowing it will run out. (Some predictable order of progression would be a good idea—the lesson will work the same without it, but the class may riot otherwise!)

2. When the bowl/ bag is empty, examine who got the treats. Generally the last students in line will be without any, and the first students will have the most. Why is this so? Did the last students have any choice? Did the first students? What choices did the first students have to make? Would the outcome have been different if students had to pay for their Kisses? Since no one 'owned' the Kisses as they were passed around, did that have an effect on students taking the candies? (The teacher may want to ‘redistribute the wealth’… or have extras saved away elsewhere so that no one feels left out.)

1. Each student should think of one favorite thing that he/ she has. Since property rights are a key issue in economic decision-making, these should be objects/ nouns. Ask the students to write a paragraph or two about this object. Younger students might focus on description; older students may write on ideas of how someone else can tell that it is important, how does the student care for it, etc. If particular skills of writing/ English are being stressed at the time, this can be dovetailed into an appropriate style of writing.

· If a classmate asked to borrow this item, would students be willing to lend it out?

(These answers can be written on the board as an example of a ‘contract for care’ for the item in question.)

· What if you found a sweater in the lounge (as opposed to borrow it)—would you treat it differently?

· Why wouldn’t the finder/ borrower naturally be as careful with the item as the owner?

Teacher should make explicit connection to the term common pool resources for the students. Much of the environment is seen as “collectively owned.”

1. Students should be broken into groups of 4-6 students. Each group represents a planning committee that will examine and comment upon a project for economic growth in a specific area (Inner Asia). If desired, each student can be designated a specific role, such as group facilitator, recorder, class reporter, etc.

Each student should get a copy of the case/ project (Appendix I). Before the groups meet, each individual needs to read the information sheet, and then individually answer questions about each project. Groups should then meet, discuss possibilities of the project, and come to a solution whether each are worthwhile, and why/ why not. Finally, someone from each group should report the group’s conclusions to the class.

2. As each group reports to class, was there a consensus as to funding/ not funding? What were the concerns raised? Specifically, the groups’ points should be listed on the board under the headings of “project benefits” and “project costs.”

Generally, groups will be willing to fund the project, but the outcome is less important than the process of the decision-making itself. If the proposed irrigation scheme is funded, it is probably due to an undervaluing of the costs involved. This should be examined carefully. If the funding is rejected, determine why. There may be various reasons, but in terms of economic sense it is the externalities of cost that should be stressed, in a method appropriate to the age of the student

· How did the groups (or individuals) put a cost to the diversion of water? Who benefits/ pays?

· What unintentional secondary effects might come about due to this proposed project?

· If, in the long-run, it turns out to be unprofitable—even disastrous—how could policy groups have missed predicting such outcomes in their discussions?

· How does this relate to the earlier ideas seen in the Hershey’s Kisses example or the discussion about people’s favorite items?

1. Distribute copies of “The Aral Sea Disaster” (Appendix II) to each of the students. Let each read over the real-world effects of the Soviet plan.

Since this is a real case, the class can quite clearly see the outcomes of their economic plan. Concepts of ownership and economic value can be used to understand this phenomenon. Since the environment is seemingly ‘free’ for all to use, often decisions are made that have many negative consequences for others. If only two or three people had owned the Aral Sea (the fish & water supply), perhaps they would have been more watchful of these real costs that they would be incurring.

This same economic concept can be seen in most environmental issues. For example, companies may dispose of toxins in a nearby river because it is cheap to do so: the company gets the benefit of the production, and only pays merely a portion of the cost (some of the cost is borne by people who used to swim or fish in the river). Unless the full cost is paid by the producer (often by government requiring clean-up costs… although there are other, probably better, courses of action), the pollution will no doubt continue.

· How can a person/ committee know the ‘real’ costs of activities? How should we judge?

(local participation, evaluation of environment and health as well as money, etc.)

· What are other examples from the students’ own city or state where this phenomenon can be seen?

(smog, noise, graffiti, wasting paper at school, rough use of textbooks not owned, etc.)

The lesson is not meant to be lengthy and involve specific assessment itself. Evaluation should be according to instructor’s choice, but certainly the definition and example of common pool resources (and solutions to the problem) are of prime importance. The final questions (from Appendix II) may be answered in written form by students and also used for evaluation purposes.

Any extension to the lesson (see below) would serve as a continuation as well as possible higher-level assessment for the lesson.

An alternative approach to the final section (examining the specific outcomes of this project) is to have the class groups find out information on their own and make posters/ presentations to the class at a later date. This may work well in higher grades.

Students can create their own maps, using geography and cartography skills, showing the location of the Aral Sea, countries affected, ‘before’ & ‘after’ shorelines, location of water diversion, etc.

This can also be an entry lesson into a unit on biological/ environmental effects, sustainable development and other environmental issues, or a study on the Central Asian region.

Any basic microeconomic text will give a detailed description of “common pool” resources.

Ellis, William S. “A Soviet sea lies dying.” National geographic 177 (Feb 1990): 72-93.

Nature. “Asian republics agree on joint rescue plan to save the Aral Sea.” Jan. 20, 1994. 206.

You are a committee member on an important economic development council from an inner Asian country. You are examining a newly proposed strategy to increase hard currency (foreign money, such as US dollars) so that your area and country can start importing goods from other nations.

Before you start discussing with your committee, you should read the background information on your region; your entire committee will have this same information. Then, you should read the proposed project, and answer the prepared questions. This will allow you to start forming some ideas to discuss in your committee meeting.

You are an advisor from a large nation (1,050,000 square miles: the size of AK, TX, and CA together!). It is a poor area of the world, but with many untapped resources—including oil reserves, gas, coal, and iron. However, the country is not yet energy self-sufficient, due to poor infrastructure. The geography is varied, but generally of continental climate. There are two large inland seas on its borders (no access to oceans), and two major rivers which feed these seas (see map). Population is small (17.5 million people—about the population of TX).

A proposal has arisen which would allow for new farmland to be created. A large dam and irrigation canal system can be built, which will allow water to be diverted from one of the main rivers to desert land area. This will cost approximately *** to build. The new irrigation system, if built, will allow for millions of hectares to be irrigated and used for crop production. However, the sea itself will be affected by the reduction of river water that currently feeds it. There are fishermen who live along the coast of the sea, and their local economy depends on them. Yet, by growing cotton, and perhaps other desired products, the country would then be able to sell the output on the world market for hard currency. Moreover, pesticides can be used to increase crop yields to ensure harvests and profitability. It is estimated that in the first *** years, $ *** will be produced and sold.

Who (individuals, groups, others…) might be affected in a positive way by the proposal?

Who (individuals, groups, others…) might be affected in a negative way by the proposal?

Does this proposal sound like something you would recommend to the council/ nation? (why, why not?)

Now, meet with you colleagues to discuss the merits of this proposal and if it should be implemented.

The Aral Sea Disaster

Bodies of water, whether rivers, lakes, or oceans, are often not seen as “owned” since we all have some interest in each of them. Not only water, but the world’s environment as a whole can be seen as owned in common—people can use (or abuse) it, but there is a price paid for such use. The cost to these “common pool resources” is borne by every owner however, not just the person who initiates the action.

The Aral Sea is a good example of this phenomenon. The Soviet government, anxious to find products for export as well as develop its southern republics, set out on a program of accelerated agricultural production. The Kara Kum Canal opened in 1956, which diverted water from the Amu Darya River into the desert for crop land irrigation. After 1960, the water level of the Aral Sea began to drop.

The Aral Sea was once a fertile region and the fourth largest lake on Earth. In 1965, the sea was receiving approx. 50 cubic kilometers of water per year from the river inflow. By the early 1980s, this had dropped to zero. The sea has shrunk by more than 70% since 1960; some estimates now show that the entire sea could disappear by 2015.

As the Aral Sea shrank, its salinity increased, destroying much biological life. The formerly large catches of fish had declined by over 75% by 1977. A fishing industry that had supported 60,000 people is ruined.

The regional climate has also changed. The growing season shortened as the climate became more continental— and some farmers switched their crops from cotton to rice (which demands even more water). Moreover, regional climate changes may have greater effects outside the area.

The heavy use of fertilizer and pesticides for the intensive agriculture have quickly found their way into water and irrigation channels—poisoning the water and food supplies. Salt, sand, and dust from the exposed beds of the sea now blow across the region.

With lack of safe water, the area’s inhabitants face decreasing basic sanitation and health standards. Less than 60% of inhabitants have access to piped water systems. Tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and throat cancer are common. The majority of children in the area are weak or anemic, and vulnerable to infections. In Kazakhstan’s Kyzyl-Orda region, 80% of the population (660,000) are said to be ill.

Uzbekistan has been trying to reverse some of the consequences from the Aral Sea’s degradation. In the late 1990s, a multi-targeted project began, costing $117 million. This money came not only from the Uzbek government but also from loans by the US, Germany, Kuwait, and the World Bank.

Common pool resources & the Aral Sea By Kelley L. Fallon The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities; Muncie, IN

The Aral Sea Disaster

Common pool resources & the Aral Sea
By Kelley L. Fallon
The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities; Muncie, IN