Chapter 5 Goal of Environmental Policy the National Environmental Policy Act and International Environmental Policy Policy a formal set of general plans and principles to address problems and guide decision making Public policy governmental laws regulations orders incentives and practices to advance societal welfare Environmental policy Regulates resource use or reduces pollution To promote human welfare and or protect resources Science ethics and economics help formulate policy Science provides information and analysis Ethics and economics clarify how society can address problems Answer three questions how you think the world works how you view your role in it and what you believe to be proper behavior Environmental policy tries to protect environmental quality and natural resources while promoting equity or fairness in resource use Environmental policies also promote fairness by eliminating external costs polluters like to privatize the profits but socialize the environmental costs Policies could ensure that parties do not use resources in ways that harm others e g Environmental impact statement NEPA National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 began the modern era of environmental policy It created the Council on Environmental Quality It focuses on sustainability safeguarding ecosystems while raising living standards NEPA requires an Environmental Impact Statement EIS For any federal action that might significantly impact the environment To assess the environmental impacts of any federally funded project An EIS usually does not halt projects BUT it provides incentives to decrease damage and grants citizens input into the policy process EPA In 1970 President Nixon s executive order created the Environmental Protection Agency EPA to develop an integrated approach to environmental policy Conducts and evaluates research Monitors environmental quality Sets and enforces standards for pollution levels Assists states in meeting standards and goals Educates the public International Environmental Policy The North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA The United Nations The European Union The World Trade Organization WTO Assumptions of neoclassic economy Neoclassical economics examines the psychological factors that underlie consumer choices Market prices reflect consumer preference Supply vs demand Conflict between buyers and sellers leads to production of the right quantities of a product Capitalist market systems operate according to neoclassical economics Enormous material wealth has been created Assumptions of neoclassical economics contribute to environmental degradation 1 Resources are infinite or substitutable Economic models treat resources and workers as infinite substitutable and interchangeable Once used up a replacement resource will be found However some resources can be replaced but some cannot Nonrenewable resources fossil fuels can be depleted Renewable resources forests can also be used up 2 We should discount the future 3 All costs and benefits are internal A future event has less value than a present one Future events are discounted Short term costs and benefits are more important than long term costs and benefits Present conditions are more important than future ones However we ignore the long term consequences of policy decisions Environmental problems unfold gradually Discounting causes us to downplay environmental impacts of pollution and resource degradation Only the buyer and seller experience costs and benefits associated with exchanging goods or services In fact pricing ignores social environmental or economic costs of pollution and degradation Taxpayers bear the burden of paying these costs External costs affect people other than buyers or sellers Examples health problems resource depletion property damage Ignoring external costs creates a false impression of the consequences of choices Laws and regulations address external costs 4 All growth is good Economic growth is needed to keep jobs and social order It creates opportunities for poor to become wealthier Progress is measured by economic growth But economic growth does not ensure well being o Affluenza material goods do not always bring contentment to those who can afford them Runaway growth can destroy our economic system Resources are ultimately limited Ecological economic civilizations cannot overcome environmental limitations Uses principles of ecology and systems science Natural systems are models for sustainability Calls for revolution Ecological economists advocate steady state economies Economies that mirror natural ecological systems They don t grow nor shrink but stay stable Quality of life increases through technological and behavioral changes Chapter 6 Population China s population policy and effect In 1970 China s 790 million people faced starvation The government instituted a one child policy The growth rate plummeted as a result The policy is now less strict but has unwanted consequences such as killing of female infants and a black market trade in teenage girls The good o the momentum of fast growth of the population has been controlled effectively because of the family planning policy o If the first child is handicapped or a girl then the couple is allowed a second child Those with one child are issued with a one child certificate entitling them to interest free loans longer maternity leave and cash bonuses o More young educated women in Chinese society today than ever Nearly 50 of all undergraduates and graduates are female The bad o Steep decline in the average population growth rate alongside an aging population with women only having 1 4 children instead of the 2 1 necessary for population stabilisation This means more pressure on a shrinking work population as well as on government pensions and healthcare o With the arrival of ultra sound technology sex selective abortion and female infanticide became o Because of financial penalty many families do not register these babies and therefore have no legal widespread Lack of brides identities Child trafficking o Another effect is the creation of little emperors obesity and a generation of spoiled brats o Parents rising expectations Sadly this has led to high suicide rates o The policy varies from province to province and is especially liberal when it applies to China s minorities Policies and family planning Cairo conference and Family planning contraception 1994 s UN population conference in Cairo Egypt called for universal access to