The Economics of Invasion

In these modern times, it has become impossible to prevent species invasions in this highly mobile society. Invasive species are constantly hitchhiking on boats, imports, and on everyday objects. There is no way to prevent this without spending a ridiculous amount of money that the government is not willing to give up. All they want the money for is to buy more powerful weapons so that they can be better, stronger, and more powerful than other nations’ governments. The only time they contribute to getting rid of invasive species is when they become a threat to our health and their economy.

Because of this, I believe that ecological considerations such as this should be factored into economic decisions before it is too late. If there is a threat of a disease or a dangerous insect in an area where we would like to import food or goods from, then we should look elsewhere for that product. If we can’t find it anywhere else then we should either find a way to kill it or forget about it all together. If that item is an absolute necessity, then they should inspect the items (especially if it’s food) thoroughly and sanitize them multiple times. These things need to be considered before bringing foreign objects into our country in order to protect our people’s health.

Another thing we can do is factor all of the negative external costs back into the cheap goods from other nations. If we were to put a small tax on these goods that provide a possible threat to our nation, then we could use that money to help pay for preventive programs that could help keep invasive species under control and keep us safe. However, the prices would not be considered cheap anymore, and that would make people upset because we are in a remission right now. I honestly would rather be upset than be sick or hungry because some bug ate all of my food, but that’s just my opinion against many.

I also believe the government should become more involved with invasive species because not only do they pose a threat against mankind, but they pose a threat to our own native species. These invasive species are taking over and destroying our landscaping and our wildlife. They are more aggressive, and they are more inclined to contribute to making some of our native species extinct. If the government would just help out a little by giving invasive species prevention programs a little money each year, then most of these problems can be solved.