Environmental policy is any (course of) action delibaretely taken (or not taken) to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on humans ^[1].

Definition

It is useful to consider that Environmental Policy comprises two major terms: environment and policy. Environment refers to a broad concept consisting of three main dimensions: i.e. an ecological (ecosystems) dimension, a social (quality of life) dimension and an economic (resource management) dimension ^[2]. Policy can be defined as a "course of action or principle adopted or proposed by a government, party, business or individual" ^[3]. Thus, environmental policy focuses on problems arising from human impact on the environment, which retroacts onto human society by having a (negative) impact on human values such as good health or the 'clean and green' environment. Look up policy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Environmental issues generally addressed by environmental policy include (but are not limited to) air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem management, biodiversity protection, and the protection of natural resources, wildlife and endangered species. Air pollution is the modification of the natural characteristics of the atmosphere by a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent. ... Raw sewage and industrial waste flows into the U.S. from Mexico as the New River passes from Mexicali, Baja California to Calexico, California Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waste For the company, see Waste Management, Inc. ... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ...

Environmental policy instruments

Environmental policy instruments are tools used by governments to implement their environmental policies. Governments may use a number of different types of instruments. For example, economic incentives and market-based instruments such as taxes and tax exemptions, tradable permits, and fees can be very effective to encourage compliance with environmental policy. ^[4] Market-based instruments (MBIs) are policy instruments that use price or other economic variables to provide incentives for polluters to reduce harmful emissions. ...

Voluntary measures, such as bilateral agreements negotiated between the government and private firms and commitments made by firms independent of government pressure, are other instruments used in environmental policy. Another instrument is the implementation of greener public purchasing programmes. ^[5]

Often, several instruments are combined in an instrument mix formulated to address a certain environmental problem. Since environmental issues often have many different aspects, several policy instruments may be needed to adequately address each one. Furthermore, instrument mixes may allow firms greater flexibility in finding ways to comply with government policy while reducing the uncertainty in the cost of doing so. However, instrument mixes must be carefully formulated so that the individual measures within them do not undermine each other or create a rigid and cost-ineffective compliance framework. Also, overlapping instruments lead to unnecessary administrative costs, making implementation of environmental policies more costly than necessary^[6] In order to help governments realize their environmental policy goals, the OECD Environment Directorate studies and collects data on the efficiency of the environmental instruments governments use to achieve their goals as well as their consequences for other policies.^[7] The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ...

See also

• Environmental science
• Environmental Principles and Policies

Environmental science is the study of the interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment; with a focus on pollution and degradation of the environment related to human activities; and the impact on biodiversity and sustainability from local and global development. ... The book Environmental Principles and Policies: An Interdisciplinary Introduction, written by Professor Sharon Beder, examines six key environmental and social principles that have been incorporated into international treaties and national laws. ...

References

1. ^ McCormick, John, 2001, Environmental Policy in the European Union. The European Series. Palgrave, page 21
2. ^ "Bührs, 1991, cited in Bührs, Ton and Bartlett, Robert V., 1993, Environmental Policy in New Zealand. The Politics of Clean and Green. Oxford University Press, page 9
3. ^ Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1995
4. ^ "Environmental Policies and Instruments: About," OECD Environment Directorate, 19 July 2007 <http://www.oecd.org/about/0,3347, en_2649_34281_1_1_1_1_ 1,00.html>.
   "Environmental Taxes, Tradable Permits, etc.: About," OECD Environment Directorate, 19 July 2007 <http://www.oecd.org/about/0,3347,en_2649_34295_1_1_1_1_1,00.html>.
5. ^ "Environmental Policies and Instruments: About," OECD Environment Directorate, 19 July 2007 <http://www.oecd.org/about/0,3347, en_2649_34281_1_1_1_1_ 1,00.html>.
6. ^ Instrument Mixes for Environmental Policy (Paris: OECD Publications, 2007) 15-16.
7. ^ “Environmental Policies and Instruments,” OECD Environment Directorate, OECD.org, 19 July 2007 <http://www.oecd.org/department/0,3355,en_2649_34281_1_1_1_1_1,00.html>.

External links

• Tellus Institute Nonprofit environmental policy research organization.
• Resources for the Future A nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that conducts independent research -- rooted primarily in economics and other social sciences -- on environmental, energy, and natural resource issues.
• ELUS not for profit subsidiary of Groundwork Trust offering environmental policy and law information
• EEA/OECD Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management database
• OECD Environmental Policies and Instruments