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•  The  public  demanded  a  cleaner  

environment    

•  and  supported  tougher  environmental  legisla6on  

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

•  Three  factors  allowed  major  advances  in  environmental  policy  in  the  1960s  and  1970s:  

1.  Wide  evidence  of  environmental  problems    

2.  People  could  visualize  policies  to  deal  with  problems    

3.  Public  support  and  leaders  who  were  willing  to  act      

•  Star6ng  in  the  1980s,  the  poli6cal  climate  changed  

•  People  felt  burdened  by  environmental  regula6ons  

•  Poli6cians  tried  to  roll  back  or  weaken  environmental  laws  

•  The  U.S.  retreated  from  its  leadership  role  in  environmental  policy  

We need to stop labeling problems as environmental and show they are quality of life issues. - What kind of world do you want to live in?

•  The  1992  Earth  Summit  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  

Brazil  

•  179  na6ons  •  Centered  on  the  idea  of  sustainable  

development  

•  Fourth  wave  of  environmental  policy  

•  Late  20th  century  to  present    •  Focuses  on  sustainable  development      

•  Finding  ways  to  safeguard  natural  systems    

•  While  raising  living  standards  for  

the  world’s  poorest  people  

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•  Interna6onal  law    

•  Vital  to  solving  interna6onal  problems      

•  Customary  law  

•  Arises  from  prac6ces  or  customs  

held  by  most  cultures    

•  Conven2onal  law  

•  Arises  from  conven6ons  or  trea6es  

between  na6ons  

•  Montreal  Protocol  (1987)  

•  160  na6ons  agreed  to  reduce  ozone-­‐deple6ng  chemicals    

San Diego/Tijuana international wastewater treatment plant

•  Interna6onal  organiza6ons    

•  Influence  the  behavior  of  na6ons  

•  Provide  funding,  apply  peer  pressure,  direct  media  aZen6on    

•  United  Na2ons  

•  Created  in  1945  to  maintain  interna6onal  peace  and  prosperity  

•  United  Na2ons  Environment  Programme  (UNEP)  

•  Helps  na6ons  understand  and  solve  environmental  problems  

•  The  World  Bank  Established  in  1944  

•  one  of  the  world’s  largest  funding  sources  for  economic  development  

•  Dams,  irriga6on,  infrastructure  

•  Funds  many  unsustainable,  environmentally  damaging  projects  

•  European  Union    

•  Seeks  to  promote  Europe’s  unity  

and  economic  and  social  progress  

•  One  goal  is  promo6on  of  

solu6ons  to  environmental  

problems  

•  Contained  27  member  na6ons  

•  Can  enact  binding  trea6es  

•  Its  regula6ons  have  the  same  

authority  as  na6onal  laws  

•  Can  also  issue  advisory  direc6ves  

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•  WTO  

•  Established  in  1995  

•  Represents  mul6na6onal  corpora6ons  to  promote  free  trade  

•  Has  authority  to  impose  penal2es  on  na2ons  that  don’t  comply  with  its  direc2ves!  

•  Interprets  some  environmental  laws  as  unfair  barriers  to  free  trade  

•  Brazil  and  Venezuela  filed  a  complaint  against  the  U.S.’s  EPA  regula6ons  requiring  cleaner-­‐burning  fuel  

•  WTO  agreed  with  Brazil  and  Venezuela  

•  despite  threats  to  human  health  

•  Cri6cs  charge  the  WTO  aggravates  environmental  problems  

•  Interna6onal  trea6es    

•  Allow  industries  and  corpora6ons  to  weaken  environmental  protec6on  laws  

•  seen  as  barriers  to  trade  •  Under  the  North  American  Free  Trade  Agreement  (NAFTA)    

•  An  investor  of  one  country  can  sue  another  country    

•  for  hindering  the  investor’s  ability  to  make  profits  

•  i.e.,  Canada’s  caZle  industry  demanded  $300  million  from  U.S.  taxpayers    

•  for  banning  Canadian  beef  afer  mad  cow  disease  was  found  in  Canadian  caZle  

•  billions  of  $  at  stake  -­‐  trea6es  discourage  na6ons  from  passing  new  environmental  protec6on  laws  

•  Non-­‐governmental  Organiza2ons  (NGOs)  

•  En66es  that  influence  interna6onal  policy  

•  Some  do  not  get  poli6cally  involved  

•  such  as  The  Nature  Conservancy  

•  Others  try  to  shape  policy  through  research,  lobbying,  or  protest    

•  Greenpeace,  Popula6on  Connec6on  

•  Apply  more  funding,  research,  and  

exper6se  toward  solving  environmental  

problems  than  many  na6onal  

governments  

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•  Science  provides  informa6on  to  make  beZer  policy  

•  A  na6on’s  strength  depends  on  its  commitment  to  science  

•  Policy  based  on  pseudoscience  is  doomed  to  fail  

•  Some6mes  policymakers  distort  science  

•  Manipula6ng  data  

•  Censoring,  suppressing,  and  edi6ng  reports  

•  Placing  unqualified  people  in  powerful  posi6ons  

•  Placing  people  with  conflicts  of  interest  in  posi6ons  

•  Ignoring  scien6fic  advice  

•  Misleading  the  public  

•  Command-­‐and-­‐control  approach  

•  Environmental  policy  sets  legal  limits  and  threatens  punishment  for  violators  

•  Has  resulted  in  successes:  cleaner  air  and  water  

•  Most  current  environmental  laws  

•  Have  resulted  in  safe,  healthy,  comfortable  lives    

•  Top-­‐down,  some6mes  heavy-­‐handed  

•  Interest  groups  —  people  seeking  private  gain  —  unduly  influence  poli6cians  

•  Alterna6ve  approaches  involve  using  crea6ve  economic  incen6ves  

•  Tax  breaks  

•  Government  relieves  the  tax  burden  on  a  business  or  individual  to  promote  desirable  industries  or  ac6vi6es  

•  Subsidies  

•  Government  giveaway  of  cash  or  resources  to  promote  environmentally  sustainable  ac6vi6es  

•  Can  be  used  to  support  unsustainable  ac6vi6es  

•  i.e.,  subsidies  for  non-­‐renewable  fuels,  roads  in  na6onal  forests,  mining  on  public  lands  

The U.S. taxpayer pays $4,000/year in environmentally harmful subsidies and on increased prices through environmental degradation

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•  Taxa6on  can  be  used  to  discourage  undesirable  ac6vi6es  

•  Internalizes  external  costs  

•  Green  taxes  

•  Taxes  on  environmentally  harmful  ac6vi6es  and  products  

•  Polluter  pays  principle  

•  Price  of  a  good  or  service  includes  all  costs,  including  environmental  degrada6on  

•  Gives  companies  financial  incen6ves  to  reduce  pollu6on  

•  But,  costs  are  passed  on  to  consumers  

•  Markets  in  permits  can  save  money  and  produce  results  

•  Permit  trading  

•  The  government  creates  a  market  in  permits  for  an  environmentally  harmful  ac6vity  

•  Ie  –  carbon  trading  •  Companies,  u6li6es,  and  industries  buy,  sell,  and  trade  rights  to  conduct  the  ac6vity  

•  Cap-­‐and-­‐trade  system  

•  The  government  sets  the  amount  of  allowable  pollu6on  

•  issues  permits  to  polluters  to  emit  a  certain  frac6on  of  that  amount  

•  Polluters  can  exchange  these  permits    

•  Governments  can  reduce  the  amount  of  emissions  

•  Has  been  rife  with  fraud  

•  Eco-­‐labeling  

•  Tells  consumers  which  brands  use  

sustainable  processes  

•  A  powerful  incen6ve  for  businesses  to  switch  to  beZer  

processes  

•  “Dolphin  safe”  tuna  

•  Socially  responsible  inves6ng  in  sustainable  companies  

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•  Many  people  take  part  in  transac6ons  involving  

financial  incen6ves  as  policy  tools  

•  Residents  pay  for  waste  disposal    

•  According  to  the  amount  of  waste  they  

produce  

•  Power  companies  may  offer  discounts  to  

customers    

•  Who  buy  high-­‐efficiency  light  bulbs  and  

appliances  

In  a  capitalist  market  economy:  

a)      People  get  their  daily  needs  from  nature  

b)      The  government  determines  what  is  produced  

c)      People  do  not  purchase  or  trade  goods  

d)      Buyers  and  sellers  determine  produc6on  of  goods  

e)      People  believe  that  making  a  profit  is  bad  

 Which  of  the  following  is  an  ecosystem  service?    

   a)  Water  purifica6on  in  wetlands  

b)  Climate  regula6on  in  the  atmosphere  

c)  Nutrient  cycling  in  ecosystems  

d)  Waste  treatment  by  bacteria  

e)  All  of  the  above  are  ecosystem  services.  

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While  valuable,  neoclassical  economics  has  led  to  environmental  problems  because:  

a)  Resources  are  treated  as  unlimited  

b)  Long-­‐term  effects  are  downplayed  

c)  Costs  and  benefits  are  experienced  by  people  other  than  just  the  buyer  and  seller    

d)  All  of  the  above  assump6ons  have  resulted  in  environmental  problems.  

Which  of  the  following  is  NOT  considered  an  economic  externality?  a)  Human  health  b)  Property  damage  c)  Price  a  buyer  pays  for  a  product  d)  Aesthe6c  damage  e)  All  of  the  above  are  externali6es.  

 Which  of  the  following  statements  would  be  spoken  by  an  ecological  

economist?  

a)  The  current  economic  system  is  working  fine.  

b)  The  current  economic  system  simply  needs  to  be  fine-­‐tuned.  

c)  The  current  economic  system  is  broken  and  a  new  one  needs  to  be  developed.  

d)  Economic  systems  never  work.  

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 ________  occur(s)  when  the  market  does  not  reflect  the  nega6ve  impact  on  the  

environment  of  a  par6cular  ac6vity.  

a)  A  subsidy  

b)  Green  taxes  

c)  Market  failure  

d)  Equity  

 _______  is  defined  as  “policy  made  by  the  government  that  consists  of  laws  

and  regula6ons.”  

 a)      Tort  law  

b)      Public  policy  

c)      Market  failure  

d)      Tragedy  of  the  commons  

 

Which  of  the  following  is  a  goal  of  environmental  policy?  

a)  Resource  protec6on  

b)  Elimina6on  of  free  riders  

c)  Addressing  external  costs  

d)  Promo6ng  equity  

e)  All  of  these  are  goals  of  environmental  policy.  

 

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 Policy  is  formulated  to  prevent  ________,  which  tempts  people  to  cheat.  

a)  Resource  protec6on  

b)  External  costs  

c)  The  tragedy  of  the  commons  

d)  Free  riders  

d)  Overuse  of  a  commonly  held  resource  by  the  public  

 

 What  happened  to  the  Cuyahoga  River,  which  increased  awareness  of  

environmental  problems?  

a)  It  smelled  bad.  

b)  People  drowned  in  it.  

c)  It  was  drained.  

d)  It  caught  on  fire.  

e)  It  was  drained  because  of  its  high  pollu6on  levels.  

NEPA  requires  an  Environmental  Impact  Statement  when:  

a)  An  economically  expensive  project  is  proposed  

b)  Any  state  ac6on  may  affect  the  environment  

c)  Any  federal  ac6on  may  affect  the  environment  

d)  Poli6cians  decide  one  is  needed  

e)  The  public  demands  one  

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The _________ represent(s) multinational corporations to promote free trade and interpret(s) some environmental laws as unfair to trade.

a) World Trade Organization

b) The European Union

c) United Nations Environment Programme

d)  Non-governmental Organizations

e)  All of these represent multinational corporations.

Which  statement  is  FALSE  when  formula6ng  environmental  policy?  

 a)  Iden6fica6on  of  the  problem  is  the  first  step.  

b)  Envisioning  a  solu6on  to  a  problem  involves  both  science  and  social  

ac6on.  

c)  Individuals  tend  to  be  more  effec6ve  than  organiza6ons.  

d)  Lobbyists  try  to  influence  poli6cians.  

e)  The  final  step  of  policy  formula6on  ends  up  with  a  proposed  bill  or  draf  

law.  

 Do  you  think  economic  growth  can  con6nue  to  expand  as  rapidly  as  it  has  in  recent  years?  

 a)    Absolutely.  It  has  in  the  past  and  will  con6nue  to  expand  in  the  future.  b)  Mostly  yes,  with  some  rare  excep6ons.  c)  Yes.  Technology  will  come  up  with  solu6ons  to  any  problems.  d)  Absolutely  not.  Environmental  degrada6on  and  limits  will  limit  

economic  growth.  e)  I  don’t  care.  I’ve  got  rich  parents.  

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Think  of  an  issue  in  your  community  that  could  pit  environmentalists  against  economic  development.    What  do  you  think  should  be  a  priority:  environmental  protec6on  or  economic  development?  

 a)    Economic  growth;  we  need  the  jobs  b)      Environmental  protec6on;  we  need  the  environment  c)  Both;  a  compromise  must  be  reached  d)  Whatever  costs  the  taxpayers  the  least