Figure 2.19: The Bathtub Model of the Stock of Atmospheric CO2
Figure 2.19 presents a bathtub analogy to clarify the concepts of stock and flow in the context of atmospheric carbon dioxide. In this visual model, the total accumulated amount of CO2 in the atmosphere (the stock) is represented by the water level in the bathtub. This helps illustrate how the stock changes due to inflows (emissions) and outflows (natural absorption).
0
1
Tags
Systems
Science
Physical Science
Economics
Economy
Social Science
Empirical Science
CORE Econ
Ch.2 Technology and incentives - The Economy 2.0 Microeconomics @ CORE Econ
The Economy 2.0 Microeconomics @ CORE Econ
Introduction to Microeconomics Course
Related
A bathtub's water level represents the total stock of a particular gas in the atmosphere. The inflow from a faucet represents all emissions of this gas, and the outflow through a drain represents its natural removal from the atmosphere. For many years, the inflow has been approximately double the rate of the outflow. To stabilize the gas's atmospheric stock (i.e., to stop the water level from rising), which of the following actions is the minimum necessary?
Analyzing Atmospheric CO2 Dynamics
Planetary Atmosphere Management Scenario
Imagine the atmosphere is a bathtub, where the water level represents the total amount (stock) of CO2. The faucet represents CO2 emissions (inflow), and the drain represents natural absorption (outflow). If the inflow from the faucet is currently twice as fast as the outflow from the drain, holding the inflow rate constant (i.e., stopping any further increase in emissions) will cause the water level to stabilize.
In the conceptual model that likens the Earth's atmospheric CO2 system to a bathtub, match each component of the real-world system to its corresponding part in the bathtub analogy.
Analyzing Climate Policy with the Bathtub Model
Consider a bathtub where the water level represents the total stock of a pollutant in the atmosphere. The faucet represents the inflow of this pollutant from all sources, and the drain represents the outflow as the pollutant is removed by natural processes. Currently, the faucet is adding 10 units of water per year, while the drain is removing only 5 units per year. If a new policy successfully reduces the inflow to 7 units per year and this new rate is maintained, what will be the immediate effect on the water level in the tub?
Consider the atmosphere as a bathtub. If human activities add 9 billion tons of a gas to the atmosphere each year (the inflow), and natural processes can only remove 5 billion tons of that gas per year (the outflow), the total amount (stock) of the gas in the atmosphere will increase by ____ billion tons that year.
A global council aims to first stop the increase of a certain atmospheric gas and then reduce its total amount back to a previous, safer level. Using the 'bathtub' analogy where the water level is the gas's total amount (stock), the faucet is the emission rate (inflow), and the drain is the natural removal rate (outflow), arrange the following policy stages in the correct logical order to achieve this multi-stage goal.
Evaluating System Dynamics Arguments
CO2 Emissions as an Inflow to the Atmospheric CO2 Stock
Cause of Increasing Atmospheric CO2 Stock
Figure 2.19: The Bathtub Model of the Stock of Atmospheric CO2
Learn After
Match each economic condition present in 18th-century Britain to its most direct consequence in fostering the Industrial Revolution.
Analyzing a CO2 Emissions Policy
Imagine the total amount of a pollutant in the atmosphere is governed by an inflow rate (emissions) and an outflow rate (natural absorption). Currently, the inflow is 10 billion tons per year, and the outflow is 5 billion tons per year. If a new global policy successfully reduces the inflow to 7 billion tons per year while the outflow remains constant, what will be the immediate effect on the total amount of the pollutant in the atmosphere?
Consider a system where the total amount of a substance in a reservoir is determined by an inflow rate and an outflow rate. If the inflow rate, which is currently much higher than the outflow rate, is reduced to be exactly equal to the outflow rate, the total amount of the substance in the reservoir will immediately begin to decrease.
Analyzing Stock and Flow Dynamics
Critique of the Bathtub Model
A system's total stock of a substance (like water in a tub) is determined by its inflow rate (from a faucet) and outflow rate (through a drain). Arrange the following descriptions of the stock's behavior in a logical progression, starting from a state of rapid accumulation to a state of decline.
Evaluating Policy Options
In a system where the total amount of a substance (the 'stock') is determined by an inflow rate and an outflow rate, for the stock to stop increasing and become stable, the inflow rate must be made ________ the outflow rate.
Imagine a country wants to stabilize the total amount of a specific pollutant in its atmosphere. Currently, the emission rate (inflow) is 20 million tons per year, while the environment's natural absorption rate (outflow) is 8 million tons per year. Which of the following policy actions would be necessary to stop the total amount of the pollutant from increasing?