Based on the author’s 39 years of teaching environmental policy, working in Washington, and traveling, Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries offers a complete primer in environmental dilemmas and policies from a comparative perspective. The book covers 16 countries according to five themes: participation, interest groups, political parties, governmental structures, and the diplomatic agenda. The author has visited all of the 16 countries and offers original insights on the dynamics of their policies. The author balances theory and practical solutions, comparing policies, highlighting successes and failures, and suggesting best practices. He looks for common features such as the Environmental Decade or response to the Kyoto Protocol. He finds many cases of diffusion such as the impact of Rachel Carson or Jacques Cousteau. The analysis ranges from advanced industrial countries to developing ones. The tone is positive, with facts and ideas conveyed through vignettes Each chapter concludes with highlights of what that country received from others, such as the popularity of Carson’s book or Cousteau’s films, and innovations, such as the idea of a national park or of a green political party. From the theoretical perspective, comparing environmental issues can illuminate other policy areas. Over all, the book demonstrates rapid diffusion among the Western democracies, and slower diffusion to Russia and China.

Featuring an original introduction by the editors, this important collection of essays explores the main issues surrounding the regulation of the environment. The expert contributors illustrate that regulating the environment in the UK is conceptually complex, involves a diverse range of institutions, techniques and methodologies and crosses geographical and national boundaries. In the USA it is more formalised, juridical, adversarial and formally dependent upon legal rules. The articles highlight the fact that despite differences in the UK and the USA's regulatory styles, environmental regulation today has much in common with both traditions.

Where should the United States focus its long-term efforts to improve the nation's environment? What are the nation's most important environmental issues? What role should science and technology play in addressing these issues? Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals provides the current thinking and answers to these questions. Based on input from a range of experts and interested individuals, including representatives of industry, government, academia, environmental organizations, and Native American communities, this book urges policymakers to: Use social science and risk assessment to guide decision-making. Monitor environmental changes in a more thorough, consistent, and coordinated manner. Reduce the adverse impact of chemicals on the environment. Move away from the use of fossil fuels. Adopt an environmental approach to engineering that reduces the use of natural resources. Substantially increase our understanding of the relationship between population and consumption. This book will be of special interest to policymakers in government and industry; environmental scientists, engineers, and advocates; and faculty, students, and researchers.

The two distinct approaches to environmental policy include direct regulation-sometimes called 'command and control' policies-and regulation by economic, or market-based incentives. This book is the first to compare the costs and outcomes of these approaches by examining realworld applications. In a unique format, paired case studies from the United States and Europe contrast direct regulation on one side of the Atlantic with an incentivebased policy on the other. For example, Germany‘s direct regulation of SO2 emissions is compared with an incentive approach in the U.S. Direct regulation of water pollution via the U.S. Clean Water Act is contrasted with Hollands incentive-based fee system. Additional studies contrast solutions for eliminating leaded gasoline and reducing nitrogen oxide emissions, CFCs, and chlorinated solvents. The cases presented in Choosing Environmental Policy were selected to allow the sharpest, most direct comparisons of direct regulation and incentive-based strategies. In practice, environmental policy is often a mix of both types of instruments. This innovative investigation will interest scholars, students, and policymakers who want more precise information as to what kind of 'blend' will yield the most effective policy. Are incentive instruments more efficient than regulatory ones? Do regulatory policies necessarily have higher administrative costs? Are incentive policies more difficult to monitor? Are firms more likely to oppose market-based instruments or traditional regulation? These are some of the important questions the authors address, often with surprising results.

Based on the author‘s 39 years of teaching environmental policy, working in Washington, and traveling, Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries offers a complete primer in environmental dilemmas and policies from a comparative perspective. The book covers 16 countries according to five themes: participation, interest groups, political parti

This comprehensive analysis of key issues in North American environmental policy provides an overview of how the US, Mexico, and Canada differ in their environmental management approaches and capacity levels, and how these differences play into cross-border cooperation on environmental problems. The book offers insights into transboundary cooperation both before and after NAFTA, and presents a framework for making environmental interaction more effective in the future. The book is organized into two parts. The first, more general, section compares the national contexts for environmental management in each country—including economic conditions, sociocultural dynamics, and political decision-making frameworks— and shows how these have led to variations in policy approaches and levels of capacity. The authors argue that effective environmental governance in North America depends on the ability of transboundary institutions to address and mediate these differences. The book's second section illustrates this argument, using four case studies of environmental management in North America: biodiversity and protected areas, air pollution (smog); greenhouse gas reduction, and genetically modified crops.

Over the past decades, governments have gradually adopted more rigorous environmental policies to tackle challenges associated with pressing environmental issues, such as climate change. The ambition of these policies is, however, often tempered by their perceived negative effects on the economy.