Economics

From the definition above, Environmental Informatics is directly related to Economics. Environmental Informatics usually results in the altering of our society’s products, methods of production, and actions towards our environment. All three of these changes have an effect on the economies of our society.

When new environmental information is responsible for changing the products we use and the way we produce them, there is always an economic factor to consider. In fact, for a manufacturer or a business, the economic gains or losses of a change are of utmost importance. For example, when it was shown how chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFCs) deteriorate the ozone layer, it was decided that the present level of CFC use must decrease. The manufacturers of styrofoam, freon and many other products were faced with the question, how much would it cost to develop and produce products that did not employ any CFCs? Since there is no place on a business’ balance sheet for environmental friendliness, these manufacturers had to decide if they could afford to make this environmental transition of products and manufacturing techniques. As was expected, the large majority of companies realized that the public would prefer the non-CFC products, and therefore made all possible attempts to make their products more environmentally friendly. From an economists point of view, Environmental Informatics can also redefine a society’s economy through a change of taste. One of the most variable factors in Economics is a consumer’s preference of one product over another. When a society’s preference changes, entire industries can be created and destroyed suprisingly fast. Environmental Informatics is responsible for some of these changes in preference. For example, 15 years ago there were very few products produced by major manufacturers that recycled some material to make their product. If the manufacturer did recycle a material, it was purely for practical purposes and was rarely publicized. Now, compare that situation to the products of today. Almost every major manufacturer in almost every consumer staples industry has products that use recycled paper, plastic, and metals in their production. Also, these producers are now using the fact that they recycle as a marketing method. The people in the today’s societies are more conscious about their affect of the environment and, on the whole, would rather purchase something that is more “green,” or produces a minimum amount of waste. This change in consumer taste has profoundly affected the economies of almost every industry, and it is largely due to the information provided through Environmental Informatics.

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