Topic 1. Subject, method and objectives of the

Topic 1. Subject, method and objectives of the course "Environmental Economics"

Plan of lecture 1. Interaction between human society and the natural environment 2. Biosphere and noosphere 3. Environmental Economics as a science and its place among other sciences 4. Methodological aspects of the research course 5. Laws and legal restrictions of usage of Nature 6. Objective of Environmental Economics

1. Interaction between human society and the natural environment The real basis of the relation of man to nature is its activity, which as a result is always in the nature of the data and its materials. Basic forms of interaction between man and nature:

1) Environmental - defines the requirements for the environment as the human environment (providing gas and hydrological regimes, metabolism and digestion of waste).

2) Economic - due to social laws of development of society as it is the need to use natural objects to meet the material needs of social development (the use of natural resources as raw materials for various industries, land area for agriculture, etc.).

3) The ideological - it is reflected in the integrated use of nature in the process of economic development in environmental management.

The relationship between society and nature took place in several stages of its development, which differ significantly from each other. Mankind has long been aware of this fact and tried to classify these periods. The first attempts at such a classification were limited by mythological worldview and religious domination.

According to these ideas nature was seen as something that has a clear internal organization and subordination to the laws of beauty and harmony. Later, only the rejection of religious belief and a number of fundamental discoveries in nature really was possible to make scientific periodization of the history of relations between society and nature.

Summarizing the history of relations between society and nature and taking as the dominant criterion method of organizing human activity we distinguish periods: I Nature likely activity (period of taking finished products from nature) II Nature accordingly human activity (the period of accumulation of knowledge about nature, man goes to adapt the environment to fit their needs, coordinate their knowledge with the knowledge of the laws of nature) III Industrial human activity (the period when man tried to conquer nature by cars) IV Postindustrial (new nature accordingly) - a time when the main objective is the production of information and there are real chances to overcome the global environmental crisis and impact of lessening of interventions in nature.

2. The biosphere and the noosphere An integrated approach to the study of phenomena and processes occurring in nature is the doctrine of the biosphere. The idea of "biosphere" appeared in science in the 18th century. 1875 Austrian scientist E.Zyuss first gave a definition of the biosphere as a special shell lands formed by living organisms.

Current understanding of the biosphere introduced by Vernadsky. The article "Biosphere“ provided a theoretical definition of the biosphere - the only thermodynamic shell (space) in which the constant interaction of all living things on inorganic environmental conditions. The main feature of the biosphere - a state of economic equilibrium, which is provided by the cycling of matter and energy conversion. This feature is the basis of natural balance or harmony (basic law).

At present, when a man is the main operating principle in the biosphere, biosphere became the noosphere, or sphere of mind. It was introduced in 1927 by Edward Leroy. By theoretically substantiated and developed teaching of Vernadsky, the noosphere is considered as the highest stage of development, characterized the close relationship of the laws of nature to the laws of mind and socio-economic laws.

1.3. Environmental Economics as a science and its place among other sciences Intensive development of complex natural and social sciences leads to the fact that along with the concept of nature the concept of the environment and environmental terms begin to play a significant role. Nature is everything that surrounds us. Environment – it is integral system of interconnected natural and man-made objects and phenomena which occur in work, life and leisure of people. It includes social and natural and man-made physical, chemical and biological factors.

Nature usage – it is all aspects of society in nature including its protection, development and transformation. Economical nature usage aimed at ensuring conditions for the existence of mankind, to maximize the use of every natural complex to prevent possible harmful effects of production and other forms of human activity. Wasteful (inefficient) nature usage predetermined decrease in environmental quality and increase of costs of remedy.

In the modern sphere of nature exists two problems: 1) economic - to prevent exhaustion, timely remedy and restoration of natural resources; 2) environmental - protection from pollution, maintaining its qualities and bioproducts. Since the interaction between society and the natural environment is becoming on larger scale, it is needed a new science which is able to compile and examine the nature and economic aspects of such interaction. That science is environmental economics.

Environmental Economics is a discipline that studies the economic aspects of natural resource management and environmental protection. As an independent science environmental economics emerged in 60-70-ies of XX century. For the first time the concept of "nature usage" was proposed by the Russian ecologist Kurazhkovsky in 1959. According to the definition, nature usage - a regulation of all types of natural resources for the economics and health care. Environmental Economics uses the economy, socio-natural geography, history, technical sciences findings and methods for solving scientific and practical problems. At the same time enriching those sciences and other scientific-methodological and practical achievements.

1.4. Methodological aspects of the research course The subject of environmental economics – is the study of the mechanism of public relations for the protection of the environment and natural resources involvement in the process of industrial and commercial activity. The main scientific method is dialectical method. Environmental Economics also uses the methods of science: observation, measurement, chronometric.

As well as methods of economic sciences: statistical, economic analysis, balance (consistency), regulatory, settlement and constructive (used for planning and forecasting environment and economic development) The method of environmental economics is complex and interconnected ecological research and economic situation in order to identify the relationship between man and nature, the impact of industrial activity on the environment by means of information processing by different research methods.

5. Laws and legal restrictions of usage of Nature Laws of Nature Conservation - higher laws that reflect a comprehensive approach to the legal regulation of social relations in the interaction of society with the environment. One of the types of legal documents are national standards and technical specifications.

Currently, the Nature Conservancy as one of the activities of our society was reflected in the Laws of Ukraine : "On Environmental Protection", 1991, "On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine", 1992, "On Air Protection" in 1992, "On Ecological Expertise" in 1995, "On Wildlife" in 1993, "Land Codex of Ukraine" 1992, "Water Codex of Ukraine" 1995, "Forest Codex of Ukraine" in 1994, as well as many standard acts ...

6. Target of Environmental Economics The course objective of environmental economics - getting and practical use of new knowledge in the field of regulation of the relationship between socio-economic development of society and use of natural resources. There are the following main tasks environmental economics: 1) the study of environmental consequences of scientific and technological progress, the introduction of new technologies;

2) Implementation of monitoring; 3) development of environmental management and economic methods of environmental complex in social production; 4) study of economic patterns using public (limited) natural resources to meet their (unlimited) needs; 5) creation of economic management mechanisms rational use of natural resources and environmental protection; 6) development of methods for assessment of natural resources for inclusion in the economic calculations of their cost;

7) development of methods for calculating the economic effectiveness of capital investments in natural resources and environmental protection; 8) study the location of production, new techniques and technologies, taking into account environmental requirements; 9) Study of Population, urbanization, resource conservation, pollution of nature; 10) determine the outlook for the location of production, territorial industrial complexes based on environmental factors; 11) the development of global environmental forecasts; 12) study of the integrated use of waste production, raw materials, derivative materials.

Thank you for attention!