PROBLEM BASED LEARNING EXERCISE

Problem Based Learning Exercise for Ecological Economics

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Problem Based Learning Exercise for Ecological Economics

Introduction

Ecological economics deals with the live problems of economics related with the ecology of our environment. These problems range from developing the green infrastructure to developing marine renewable as well as dealing with the waste management. The problem of waste management is real and onerous. England produces lots of waste every year which has to be handled. Therefore, there is the need for the businesses, the consumers, and the environmentalists to deal with this waste. The ecological economics is no different from the other economics. It is economics applied to the concept of caring for our ecology and the environment. Therefore, the microeconomics and the macroeconomics apply equally well to the ecology to give us the ecological economics. In addition, the international economics is also pertinent for ecological economists.

The specific areas that need to be considered in ecological economics relate to the containing and sustaining of the ecological system. These also relate to the policy for ensuring an ecologically economical environment. The specific topics include the nature and the natural environment including the natural resources, abiotic resources which include the fossil fuels, mineral resources, water, solar energy and ricardian land, biotic resources which include the waste containment capacity, renewable resources, the functions and processes of the ecosystem and the ecosystem services, and making the world more rich with the use of ecological economics.

On the other hand, the policy areas include the general policy design principles and methods, ensuring the sustainable scale through direct regulation, taxes and subsidies, and through caps on trades, just distribution through caps on income and wealth, redistribution of the factors of production, and efficient allocation by dealing with nonmarket goods and determining their prices and values (Daly & Farley, 2011).

However, the problems of waste management still lurk and these need to be tackled in their entirety. The various waste management means include first determining the waste produced by households, commercial users, and industrial waste. It further involves understanding the processes of the collection, transport, and transfer of these waste products. Then this waste is further classified into solid waste, liquid waste and sludge, and hazardous waste. The various waste treatments include the incinerators for solid and industrial waste, incinerators for the hazardous waste, pyrolyzation and gasification of waste, hydrogenation and hydrolysis, drying methods, and other biological treatment methods. The anaerobic processes are also included in waste treatment that produces the biogases and compost from this waste. On the other hand, the chemical and physical treatment processes are distinct from other methods. Finally, the waste disposal mostly involves the use of landfills. The waste disposal and avoidance are also equally important concepts (Bilitewski, Härdtle, Marek, Weissbach, & Boeddicker, 1994).

Problem base

The problem at hand is that of determining the waste management strategy for the UK. The UK economy produces lots of waste. This waste is produced in both households as well as in commercial establishments and in the ...