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