The Environmental Regulation and
Economy
Lynn Wong-Thai
PHS 100A - Environmental Studies
Professor David Terrell
Warner Pacific College
January 6, 2014
Carbon pollution is the leading cause
of global warming, increasing the chances of natural disasters, drought and
flood, hurting our health and costing our nation millions to trillions of
dollars in health care costs. When
it comes to connecting the dots between climate change, extreme weather and
health, the lines are clear. It’s
time to listen, take action, and protect our planet from further damage by our
own activities.
How can we help to reduce the carbon
pollution and increase the effectiveness of Environmental Law?
Studies shows that the rise in greenhouse gases
primarily results from the combustion of fossil fuels for energy and from the
loss of carbon-absorbing vegetation due to deforestation. Many scientists across the world are urging
governments to address this issue.
In 2005, the national academies of science from 11 nations gathered
together to address the global warming issue and they issued a joint statement
asking political leaders to take action.
The statement simply asked people to be more conscious about the climate
change and take prompt action to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference
with the climate system (Withgott, Laposata, 2013). In the United States, many heated debates over climate
change cast doubt on the scientific consensus. These individuals together with corporate interests admit
that the climate is changing but remain doubtful if humans were to blame. Businesses and individuals often view
regulations as overly restrictive, bureaucratic or costly.
Environmental policy aims to promote plans and
principles; it acts as a guide for decision making. The goals of environmental policy are to protect resources
against the tragedy of the commons and promote fairness by eliminating free
riders and addressing external costs.
For example, the polluter-pays
principle, suggesting those responsible for pollution should shoulder the
cost for its impacts. Most
environmental laws and regulations use a command-and-control
strategy in regulating agency, prohibiting certain actions and punishing those
who violate the rules and regulations.
This approach has allowed many citizens of the United States and many
other nations to have cleaner air, cleaner water and healthier neighborhoods
that we live in today.
Most people recognize that fossil fuel
consumption is altering the planet that our children will inherit. As citizens of this society, everyone,
not just leaders in government and business, is responsible for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing
fossil fuel requires many baby steps and it involves many people and
institutions across many sectors.
This effort can be achieved using current technology and implementing
these changes immediately will stabilize our CO2 emission
level. As scientists Stephen Pacala
and Robert Socolow suggest, if we follow the age-old wisdom by breaking the
jobs into small parts, the job won’t be too big to handle.
We can make lifestyle changes to reduce
electricity consumption by replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescent
lights reducing energy use for lighting by 40% according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Program. Some people choose to move closer to
their workplace while others use mass transit including buses, subway trains,
light rail and even remote-in from home.
For example, Google is working with investor-owned energy from Duke
Energy to reduce its carbon footprint to zero by purchasing renewable energy credits. It wants the energy and the credit to
help move the market towards more green energy (Environmental Leader, 2013).
Actions are being taken by nine northeastern
states collaborating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative by joining cap-and-trade programs for carbon
emissions from power plants. A
similar approach is called fee-and-dividend
or green taxes; funds or fees paid
to government by polluters are transferred as a tax refund or dividend to taxpayers. If polluters pass their costs to
consumers, these consumers will be reimbursed in the form of a tax refund.
Global climate change maybe the biggest challenge
we face in our society today. If
we want to leave a sustainable earth for our future generations and to
safeguard the living planet that we know, we should reduce our dependence on
fossil fuels and increase our use of clean, renewable energy. Support and encourage our government
and political leaders to advocate for this and protect us our planet.
References
Environmental Leader (2013). Google
Shrinks Carbon Footprint 9%. Retrieved on January 4, 2014. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/08/15/google-shrinks-cabon-footprint-9/
Fulton, W., (2010). Governing: Do Environmental Regulations Hurt the Economy? Retrieved on January 4,
2014. http://www.governing.com/columns/eco-engines/Do-Environmental-Regulations-Hurt.html
Withgott, J., & Laposata,
M. (2013). Environment: the science behind the stories (5th Ed.). New York, NY. Pearson
Benjamin Cummings. ISBN-13:978-0-321-89742-8
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