Kooiti MASUDA wrote:
> On Nov. 17, pm2:36, James Annan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> Kooiti MASUDA wrote:
>>> I think it is reasonable that future uncertain profit should be
>>> discounted. But I do not think it reasonable that future uncertain
>>> loss or cost should be discounted in the same way.
>
>> Well, a loss can often be viewed as a smaller gain.
>
> Yes, in such cases where the word "loss" is really appropriate.
> What I meant may be better represented by "damage" rather than "loss".
> I view a damage something different from a smaller gain.
I think the problem is perhaps not so much in loss v gain but rather in
allocating monetary values to intangibles such as species loss and
habitat change/loss. Such environmental changes are of course generally
(or even by definition) losses, especially to those with the sort of
mind-set that I challenged recently (ie who regard any environmental
change axiomatically as a loss). It's not clear to me how to decide how
much value we should attribute to the loss of the species of smallpox
virus, for example, following its deliberate extinction in the wild.
There has certainly been some debate on the ethics of this but it seems
to be essentially contained within the academic sphere and treated as an
interesting debating point, and does not seem to have had much serious
consideration in terms of health and environmental policy. (I don't know
much about smallpox and would welcome any correction if I'm mistaken on
this.)
James
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
Global Change ("globalchange") newsgroup. Global Change is a public, moderated
venue for discussion of science, technology, economics and policy dimensions of
global environmental change.
Posts will be admitted to the list if and only if any moderator finds the
submission to be constructive and/or interesting, on topic, and not
gratuitously rude.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/globalchange
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
