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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 Forms the Basis for Environmental Policy

  • 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

    • Citizen-based

  • Conservation land trusts

    • Property owners agree to protect the land from development and harmful activities

  • Nonviolent, nondestructive tactics

The Environmental Transformation of Chattanooga, TN

  • 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

    • Darfur, Sudan, Africa

We Can Develop Stronger International Environmental Policies

  • United Nations – most influential

    • Family of global policy-making organizations

  • Other influential groups

    • The World Bank, etc.

  • 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

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 Forms the Basis for Environmental Policy

  • 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

    • Citizen-based

  • Conservation land trusts

    • Property owners agree to protect the land from development and harmful activities

  • Nonviolent, nondestructive tactics

The Environmental Transformation of Chattanooga, TN

  • 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

    • Darfur, Sudan, Africa

We Can Develop Stronger International Environmental Policies

  • United Nations – most influential

    • Family of global policy-making organizations

  • Other influential groups

    • The World Bank, etc.

  • 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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