CONTENT STATEMENT
11. Decisions about human activities made by individuals and societies have implications for both current and future generations, including intended and unintended consequences.
CONTENT ELABORATION
All human activities have intended and unintended consequences for ecological, social and economic systems. Individuals and societies make decisions every day that result in consequences that may impact physical and human environments today and in the future.
Intended consequences are those that are expected or anticipated. Decisions about human activities are often made by comparing the costs and benefits of the anticipated consequences.
Unintended consequences are those that are not expected or anticipated. The difficulty of predicting how ecological, social, and economic systems will react to human activities often results in unintended consequences.
Both intended and unintended consequences can be interpreted as positive or negative based on differing perspectives and values.
EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING
Analyze the impact of a selected human activity today and in the future, including intended and unintended consequences.