Chapter 24: Politics, Environment, and Sustainability
24.1 How Can Government Help With The Transition To More Sustainable Societies?
Government Can Serve Environmental and Other Public Interests
- There needs to be a balance between government intervention and free enterprise
- Government is the best mechanism to deal with
- Full-cost pricing
- Market failures
- The Tragedy of the Commons: Depletion or degradation of a potentially renewable resource to which people have free and unmanaged access
- Policies: Set of laws and regulations
- Environmental policy
- Policy life cycle – four stages
- Recognition
- Formulation
- Implementation
- Control
Democracy Does Not Always Allow for Quick Solutions
- United States is a constitutional democracy
- Three branches of government
- Legislative
- Executive
- Judicial
- Special-interest groups pressure the government
- Profit-making organizations
- Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
- Politicians focus on problems with short-term effects
Certain Principles Can Guide Us in Making Environmental Policy
- The humility principle: How our actions affect nature
- The reversibility principle: Avoid decisions that cannot be reversed
- The net energy principle: Avoid low net energy yields
- The precautionary principle: Take precautionary measures
- The prevention principle: Help prevent problems from occurring
- The polluter-pays principle: Taxes, etc.
- The environmental justice principle: No person should bear an unfair burden
24.2 How Is Environmental Policy Made?
How Democratic Government Works: The U.S. Model
- Three branches
- Legislative branch
- Executive branch
- Judicial branch
- Develop and implement policy
- Laws, regulations, and funding
- Lobbying
Developing Environmental Policy Is a Controversial Process
- Funding needed
- Regulations and rules needed to implement the law
- Environmental regulatory agencies play an important role
- Regulated businesses try to have their members appointed to regulatory agency
Individuals Can Influence Environmental Policy
- Individuals matteR
- 2007 – Chinese citizens opposed the construction of a chemical plant
- Mobile phone text messaging spread the word
- At a fundamental level, all politics is local
Influencing Environmental Policy
- Become informed on issues
- Make your views known at public hearings
- Make your views known to elected representatives and understand their positions on environmental issues
- Contribute money and time to candidates who support your views
- Votes
- Run for office
- Form or join non-government organizations (NGOs) seeking change
- Support reform of election campaign financing that reduces undue influence by corporations and wealthy individuals.
Environmental Leaders Can Make a Big Difference
- Lead by example
- Work within existing economic and political systems
- Run for local office
- Propose and work for better solutions to environmental problems
24.3 How Can Environmental Law Help In Dealing with Environmental Problems?
- Environmental law: Body of laws and treaties that broadly define what is acceptable environmental behavior
- Most environmental lawsuits are civil suits
- Injunction: court hearing
- Class action suit: civil suit filed by a group
- Negligence: damage caused by deliberately acting unreasonably
Environmental Lawsuits Are Difficult to Win
- Legal standing
- Very expensive
- Public interest law firms
- Cannot recover attorney’s fees
- Plaintiffs must establish that harm has been done
- Statutes of limitation: Limit the length of time a plaintiff can sue
- Appeals: years to settle
- Strategic lawsuits against public Participation (SLAPPs)
U.S. Environmental Laws
- Types of Legislation
- Set standards for pollution levels
- Screen new substances for safety
- Encourage resource conservation
- Protect spaces and ecosystems
- Require evaluation of activity proposed by the federal agency
- Environmental impact statement
- Have been highly effective
- Especially in pollution control
- Since 1980, well-organized forces against existing environmental laws
- Environmentalists primarily bring bad news to the public
24.4 What Are the Major Roles of Environmental Groups?
Citizen Environmental Groups Play Important Roles
- Nonprofit nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working at all levels
- International, national, state, and local
- Small grassroots groups to worldwide organizations
- Global public policy networks
- Focus on particular environmental problems
- Shifting resources to publicizing innovation
The Natural Resources Defense Council
- NRDC: Goes to court to stop environmentally harmful practices
- Informs and organizes millions of environmental activists to take action to protect the environment
- Website, magazines, and newspapers
- BioGems Network: Informs subscribers of environmental threats
- 2005: blocked the EPA from finalizing a “blending” proposal for untreated sewage
- 2001: protect a vast area of Great Bear Rainforest from logging
Grassroots Environmental Groups Bring About Change from the Bottom Up
- Global sustainability movement
- Conservation land trusts
- Property owners agree to protect the land from development and harmful activities
- Nonviolent, nondestructive tactics
- In the 1960s – one of the dirtiest cities in the U.S.
- 1984 – Vision 2000 process
- Build consensus on what the city should be
- The city:
- Encouraged zero-emission industries
- Renovated low-income housing
- Launched an innovative recycling program
Students and Educational Institutions Can Play Important Environmental Roles
- Student pressure on campuses to carry out environmental audits
- Gather data on practices that affect the environment
- Propose changes
- What are some examples of student groups and what they can accomplish?
24.5 How Can We Improve Global Environmental Security?
Why Is Global Environmental Security Important?
- Countries are legitimately concerned with national security and economic security
- All economies supported by natural capital
- Failing states – rooted in ecological crisis
We Can Develop Stronger International Environmental Policies
- United Nations – most influential
- Family of global policy-making organizations
- Other influential groups
- U.N. Conference of Environment and Development – Agenda 21
- Rio+20 Earth Summit Conference in 2012
Corporations Can Play a Key Role in Environmental Sustainability
- Corporations have the profits to provide funding
- Eco-efficiency: Finding ways to create economic value with less harmful impacts
- Nature Conservancy program: Help companies include the monetary value of natural capital in goals and strategies
24.6 How Can We Implement More Just Environmental Policies?
We Can Shift to More Environmentally Sustainable Societies
- Emphasize preventing or minimizing environmental problems
- Use market-place solutions
- Win-win solutions or trade-offs to environmental problems or injustices
- Be honest and objective
- Making this shift involveS
- Economic, political, and ethical decisions
Three Big Ideas
- An important outcome of the political process is environmental policy
- The body of laws, regulations, and programs that are designed, implemented, funded, and enforced by one or more government agencies
- All politics is local
- Individuals can work with each other to become part of political processes that influence environmental policies
- Environmental security is necessary for economic security and is at least as important as national security
- Making the transition to more environmentally sustainable societies will require that nations cooperate just as they do for national security purposes
Tying It All Together: Greening College Campuses and Sustainability
- It is possible to create sustainable environmental policies
- National and international policymakers should:
- Try for win-win solutions
- Make each decision with future generations in mind
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