Suppose that 100 people live around a hazardous waste dump. If the people continue to live there
Question:
Suppose that 100 people live around a hazardous waste dump. If the people continue to live there for 20 years, one of them will likely contract a painful, nonfatal cancer that will lead to $1 million in health-care costs, forgone wages, and pain suffering. Assume this is all the damage this waste will ever do (the waste loses its toxicity after 20 years).
The EPA has three choices:
1. Do nothing.
2. Clean up at a cost of $4 million.
3. Relocate the families at a cost to taxpayers of $1 million; fence off the property for 20 years.
a. Rank the solutions in terms of efficiency. Explain your reasoning.
b. Rank the solutions in terms of safety. Explain your reasoning.
Step by Step Answer:
Economics And The Environment
ISBN: 9781118539729
7th Edition
Authors: Eban S. Goodstein, Stephen Polasky