La pollution industrielle est l'une des manifestations les plus spectaculaires de la crise actuelle de l'environnement. Notre régime juridique et nos structures administratives sont-ils efficaces ? Peuvent-ils assurer de bonnes solutions ? Quelles en sont les possibilités et les faiblesses ? Les raisons de cette crise - et les moyens d'en sortir - ne sont pas tant à chercher dans la dénonciation d'un certain nombre d'abus criants, que dans une analyse serrée de droit et de sociologie administrative. À travers l'étude du processus de décision réel, notamment celui concernant la création de la zone industrielle de Fos-sur-Mer, cet ouvrage met en lumière les multiples facteurs juridiques et bureaucratiques, qui rendent difficile - en France - une politique rationnelle de lutte contre la pollution industrielle.

This study examines how the Bank approached environmental concerns in several large projects in Brazil, so as to draw lessons for future Bank operations involving environmental protection, assessment, and management for the guidelines and procedures that shape these activities. The study also illustrates the evolution of environmental awareness both in the Bank and Brazil, and the growing integration of environmental concerns into Bank-assisted projects over the past two decades. The report traces the direct and indirect impacts of the investments involved on both the natural resource base and existing communities, new settlements, and productive activities and to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of planned mitigatory measures. The report draws lessons in three overlapping areas: environmental protection; environmental assessment and management; and Bank activities and procedures. Preconditions for effective environmental protection are: policy, legal, and regulatory framework; institutional and technical capacity; political commitment and accountability; public awareness and community participation; regulations and economic incentives. It concludes with lessons for environmental assessment and management and recommendations for Bank operations.