Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

How Can We Improve Environmental Lawsand Regulations? Time for a CheckupEnvironmentalistsagree that somegovernment lawsSOLUTIONS and regulations gotoo far and that bureaucratssometimes develop andimpose unfair and excessivelycostly regulations. They argue thatthe solution is to stop regulatoryabuse, not to throw out or seriouslyweaken the body of laws and regulationsthat help protect the publicgood.According to environmentaleconomist William Ashworth,Government regulation did not fallout of the sky; it was erected, pieceby-piece,as an attempt to deal withthe damage caused by unrestrainedproperty rights and the unregulatedfree-market system....We do notneed to deconstruct regulation, butto reconstruct it.To accomplish this, a growingnumber of analysts urge environmentaliststo take a hard look at existingenvironmental laws and regulations.Which laws or parts of lawshave worked, and why? Whichhave failed, and why? Which governmentbureaucracies concernedwith developing and enforcing environmentaland resource regulationshave abused their power orhave not been responsive enough tothe needs of ordinary people? Howcan such abuses be corrected? Whatexisting environmental laws (orparts of such laws) and regulationsshould be repealed or modified?What environmental problemslend themselves to market-basedapproaches (free-market environmentalism),and which ones donot? What roles should pollutionprevention, waste reduction, andthe precautionary principle playin environmental legislation andregulation?These are important issues thatenvironmentalists, business leaders,elected officials, and governmentregulators need to address with acooperative, problem-solving spirit.Critical ThinkingIdentify an environmental law inthe United States (or in the countrywhere you live) that you believeneeds to be improved. How wouldyou improve it?Lakes (p. 500), Chattanooga, Tennessee (p. 581), andCuritiba, Brazil (p. 563).What Are the Goals of the Environmentalists’Opponents in the United States? Undermine,Weaken, and CrushSince 1980, a political movement has attemptedto discredit, weaken, and destroy the environmentalmovement in the United States.Despite general public approval, there is strong oppositionto many environmental proposals, laws, andregulations by three major groups. First, some corporateleaders, some corporations, and other powerfulpeople see environmental laws and regulations asthreats to their wealth and power. Second, some citizenssee environmental laws and regulations as threatsto their private property rights (p. 242) and jobs. Third,some state and local government officials resent havingto implement federal environmental laws and regulationswithout federal funding (unfunded mandates)or disagree with certain regulations.Since 1980, businesses, individuals, and someelected officials have mounted a strong campaign toweaken or repeal existing environmental laws andregulations, change the way in which public lands areused (p. 199), and destroy the reputation and effectivenessof the U.S. environmental movement.Some groups seeking to weaken or do away withenvironmental laws and regulations have many membersand large budgets. Examples are the NationalFarm Bureau and the Cattleman’s Association.Some of these groups are genuine grassroots organizations,while others are primarily lobbying groupsfor various industries. People for the West, for example,is an organization claiming to represent ordinaryrural people. But almost all of its budget and 12 of its13 board members come from mining and timber companies.Sometimes it takes careful research to determinewho is behind a group with an environmentallyfriendly name.Because of the efforts of their opponents, majorenvironmental groups in the United States have spentmost of their time and money since 1980 trying to preventexisting environmental laws and regulationsfrom being weakened or repealed.27-6 GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTALPOLICYSolutions: Should We Expand the Conceptof National and Global Security?The Big ThreeMany analysts believe that environmental securityis as important as military and economic security.Countries are legitimately concerned with military securityand economic security. However, ecologists pointout that all economies are supported by the earth’s622 CHAPTER 27 Politics, Environment, and Sustainability