Volume 2, ISSUE2/2011 - Review of Applied Socio-Economic ...

Pag׀ 141 ISSN: 2247-6172ISSN-L: 2247-6172Review of Applied Socio- Economic Research(Issue 2/ 2011)URL: http://www.reaser.eue-mail: editors@reaser.euIn relation to development of environmental policy, Roberts, J. mentions its five basic elements as follows: 122- political environment,- inputs (she divided them into three categories: inputs arising inside the political environment, publicsupport and availability of resources),- government decisions,- outputs – approval of instrumentarium,- implementation of instrumentarium.We would like to point out that a consistent “identification” of the most important factors that influencethe environmental quality, i.e. not only those that emerged, but also those which can spring up as a result of theongoing globalization processes, has to precede the environmental policy development process reflecting theprinciple of sustainable development. In its essence it means the environmental risks, as well as the uncertainty oftheir origin should be known. Only consequently, on the basis of a consensus, the environmental policy principles,achievable goals and priorities of the environmental problem solutions in the short, medium and long-termhorizon and ways of funding environmental problems can be defined.2. 1. Factors affecting the quality of environmentIdentification of factors allied with the threats for the environmental quality requires evaluation of“channels” that give way to deterioration of the environmental quality. Among such channels may be involved:- economic growth and its material and energy demandingness. An increased economic activity in acountry may or may not affect the environmental quality. Positive effects always arise when theincreased economic activity is reflected in the economic growth achieved by means of technologiesthat create smaller environmental burden. Negative effects arise when the economic growth isconcurrently followed by an increased burden on the environment.- structural changes that influence economic activities in a country. The goal of the environmentalpolicy should be the effort to create space for transition from productions which excessively burdenthe environment to less burdening productions and services.Trade liberalization, which facilitates purchase and the following use of environment friendly technologies,contributes to implementation of the structural changes in the country, but also opens markets for trading withcountries whose consumers prefer so-called green products. 123 We believe that broader application of theenvironment friendly technologies requires stimulation of the business sphere by the state, so that they to someextent participate in the effects resulting from the lower burden on the environment. In this regard it is importantto have available such environmental policy tools, which will enable to compensate the business sphere for highercosts (tax reliefs, write-offs, subsidies for purchase of environment friendly technologies, etc.).Among the main areas, in which implementation of structural changes will facilitate higher ecologicaleffects, may be included the following:- innovation of production – it means lowering the burden on the environment caused by the productitself. Innovation of the production should lead to production of environment friendly products.- technological process change – during which less pollutants are emitted, or in connection with theirproduction the consumption of material and energy will be decreased.- substitution of production inputs – environment unfriendly production inputs are substituted by themore environment friendly inputs.We would like to remark that positive effects of structural changes may be to some extent eliminated byincreasing the volume of manufactured production, however, only on the assumption that the increased volumeof production heightens the pressure on the environment. This may not be the case when top technologies areapplied.- Increased income of the population as a factor influencing the environmental quality is usuallyconnected with the increased consumption of goods and services. Negative side of higherconsumption is the increase in production and waste liquidation that leads to excessive burden on the122 Roberts, J.: Environmental Policy. London: Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-19886-0123 There are a number of theories on the trade liberalization impacts on environmental quality, which deal with positive and negative effectson the environment.. Negative effects of liberalized trade on the environment are explained in the“Race to Bottom” and “Pollution Heaven”theories. The “Porter Hypothesis shows positive effects of trade liberalization.