Chapter 7 - environmental policy

Public policy

includes laws, regulations, orders, incentives, and practices enacted by the various levels of government.

Environmental policy

specifically addresses our interactions with the environment to promote sustainably

How to shape and make enviro policy’s?

Science, ethics and economics

Enviro policy aims to

• protect peoples health and well-being

• safe-guard national parks

• conserve natural resources (water)

• promote equity and fairness in the use of resources

• provide protection from pollution

Effective policy

starts with science research and analysis, ethics, economics and then solution.

Market capitalism is driven by

short term and does not care about enviro impacts

Tragedy of the Commons

Where a public pasture would be overexploited as individuals acting in their own best interest and leading to resources becoming repleted and causing collapse

Regulations of common shared resources are needed

Government resources 

Manage resources and restrict resources use and these are central to environmental polices 

Global atmospshere

A example of tragedy of the commons

• Voluntary restrictions have not works

National policy is needed to restrict the free riders (people who don’t care)

Polluter pays principle

Internalize costs by forcing industries to deal with the external costs that are harmful to people not involved (air population from factory impacting next door community)

Economic sacrifice

Enviro protection is too restrictive, bureaucratic and costy 

Time

Enviro degradation is often long term and business act in the short-term like the orphaned oil well-sites in Alberta that being paid by tax payers to clean up (not using the polluter pay principle)

revolving door in politics

government and private sectors working together to favor the industry rather then enviro

Waves of development in Canada (4)

1. settlement and frontier ethics

   1. resources are ‘endless’ and exploited

2. development of enviro law

   1. regulation and conservation, conservation and preservation ethics (national parks act)

3. response to pollution and conservation 

   1. stronger pollution control, clean air act, fisheries act, regulate emissions, improve water quality, control hazardous substances 

4. enviro policy and sustainable 

   1. sustainable development, climate change, balancing growth with protection 

Examples of fourth wave of dev. in Canada

• Canadian environmental assessment act 

  • wanting for sustainable development

• ECCC — Enviro and Climate Change Canada

• AEP — Alberta enviro and parks

• fishing and water licenses

• always certain exemptions 

• law sets the rules, regulations makes it real 

International 

Globalization makes international environmental policies possible (pros and cons)

However, other country’s have different laws and regulations, leading to outsourcing in a country with little regulations 

One way to address enviro policy (ccp)

Command and control policy 

• Top-down approach 

Economic tools

• Subsidies - tax breaks or conservation payments 

• Green taxes - carbon tax

• Polluter pays - company is responsible to pay for external cost

• Permit trading - or emissions trading. you get a permit and cap on emissions/pollution. These can be bought and sold