Structurally Green

Our Research

We are often told about how we should all try to live our lives as green as possible to protect our environment. It sounds like something that is very easy to do. However, if it was so easy to live a green lifestyle, why isn’t the Earth getting better? What isn’t often said is how economics can affect our ability to live in a green way. Economics can affect the locations we live in, and the resources we have at our disposal. To what extent does cost affect the way we live, and the locations we live in?

Factors

One factor is location. People live where they live due to costs. Poorer people tend to live in less safe areas while wealthier people tend to live in areas with good education and a relative safer environment. Housing located near power plants tends to be cheaper due to pollution. The waste from the power plant could affect drinking water and air quality. According to PNAS, "Comparing the distribution of pollution exposure risk to the distribution of total jobs and better paid jobs, we find that the share of exposure risk borne by blacks and Hispanics generally exceeds their share of employment at the polluting facilities, often by a substantial margin. On average, blacks receive 17.4% of the exposure risk but hold only 10.8% of the jobs and 6.9% of higher paying better jobs. Similarly, Hispanics receive 15.0% the exposure risk but hold only 9.8% of the jobs and 6.8% of better jobs. "