Cultural
change
Political/pu
blic support
Political
leadership
Direct
action
Techno
advances
Alternatives
Awaren
essbuildin
g
Incentives &
disincentives
Regulat
ions
A Break from the ‘Doom and Gloom’
GEOG 101: DAY 24
HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS
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I have a brief (hopeful!) article to give to everyone.
Brief talk by Lucas Anderson on the presentation on
the presentation by Doug White on the implications of
the Tsilhqot'in land decision.
Then we’ll finish up the notes on environmental
ethics and environmental economics.
Chapter 23 is on strategies for sustainability with a
focus on campuses; please read on your own. There
will be exam questions
After we finish the slides from Tuesday, I would like to
hear what you think are the most effective strategies
for promoting social change?
 SOCIAL CHANGE STRATEGIES FOR
INSTITUTIONS AND HOUSEHOLDS

For institutions:
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Examples: lobbying (protests, letters to politicians
and corporations, on-line petitions);
electoral (voting for people who stand – at least in
theory – for the right things;
legal work (challenging government decisions in
court);
regulations (for instance, to protect the
environment);
policy development (showing governments and
corporations that there are alternatives that have
worked in other jurisdictions and that can be
win/win)
 SOCIAL CHANGE STRATEGIES FOR
INSTITUTIONS AND HOUSEHOLDS
For institutions:
 influencing public opinion through opinion-makers
(celebrities and religious leaders – Suzuki, Bishop
Tutu, etc.) and the media, both mainstream and
alternative (documentaries, web sites, social
media, etc.);
 direct action – political (such as sit-ins, as at
Clayoquot) and lifestyle (modeling a different way
of doing things while challenging by-laws and old
conventions – front yard gardening/ urban
agriculture, selling medical marijuana).

 SOCIAL CHANGE STRATEGIES FOR
INSTITUTIONS AND HOUSEHOLDS
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For individuals and households: [Examples]
education (dangers of smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, need to
adopt more environmentally-friendly lifestyles, getting kids when
they’re young; also relates to opinion-makers and media);
citizenship (fostering public discussion where people feel an
ownership of the final result, as with charrettes and study circles);
incentives and disincentives (people are responsive to their pocket
books – make bad behaviours more expensive and good behaviours
less expensive [green taxes, etc.]; the same applies to corporations);
alternatives (creating and demonstrating the existence of – e.g. blue
boxes for recycling, enhanced transit, eco-labelling).
It’s also good when you can combine strategies and combine
arguments – cycling as environmentally virtuous, but as a boost to
health (see TED talks by Jeff Speck and Majora Carter).
FIND YOUR NICHE…
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If you do decide to get involved in social change work, find
a niche that matches your talents and what you enjoy
doing:
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Are you a good organizer?
Do you like to do research and come up with alternative
policies?
Are you a good educator/ communicator?
Do you like to document things through text, photos, or film?
Do you like to be at the centre of activity and confront
authority?
Do you want to reform institutions from within?
Do you like to create and popularize alternatives?
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
(CHAPTER 22)
22-7
UPON SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THIS
CHAPTER, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
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Describe environmental policy and assess its societal
context
Identify the institutions important to Canadian
environmental policy
Recognize major Canadian environmental laws
List the institutions involved with international
environmental policy
Categorize the different approaches to environmental
policy
Describe how nations handle transboundary issues
22-8
CENTRAL CASE: THE DEATH AND REBIRTH OF
LAKE ERIE
“When you get ready to vote, make sure you know what you’re
doing.”
– Bob Hunter,
Journalist and Co-founder of Greenpeace
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1970s: Lake Erie “died” of pollution
International effort brought Lake Erie back using touch
legal restrictions on both sides of the border
Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
42 Areas of Concern with tailored Remedial Action Plans
One example of how people and organizations work
together
22-9
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
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Policy = a formal set of general plans and principles
to address problems and guide decisions
Public Policy = policy made by governments that
consists of laws, regulations, orders, incentives,
and practices
Environmental Policy = pertains to human
interactions with the environment
• Regulates resource use or reduce pollution
22-10
22-11
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ADDRESSES
ISSUES OF EQUITY AND RESOURCE USE
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The tragedy of the commons = the idea that a
resource held in common that is accessible to all
and is unregulated will eventually become
overused and degraded
Free Riders = reducing pollution tempts any one
person to cheat
• Private voluntary efforts are less effective than
mandated efforts
External Cost = harmful impacts result from
market transaction but are borne by people not
involved in the transaction
22-12
MANY FACTORS HINDER IMPLEMENTATION OF
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
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Environmental laws are challenged, derided, and
ignored
Environmental policy involves government
regulations
- Businesses and individuals view laws as overly
restrictive and unresponsive to human needs
Most environmental problems develop gradually
- Human behavior is geared toward short-term
needs
- News media have short attention spans
- Politicians often act out of their own short-term
interest
22-13
ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS AND BEST PRACTICES
CAN BE PROMOTED BY VOLUNTARY INITIATIVES

Voluntary guidelines
 Sector-based and self-enforced
 Canadian mining industry has undertaken some
voluntary initiatives
 ISO 14001 standards for environmental management
 Promote consistency and best practices in
environmental management
 Are they as effective as legislation?
22-14
CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ARISES
FROM ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
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Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999)
Federal government shares responsibility for
environmental protection
 Provinces/territories (principal responsibility)
 Aboriginal
 Municipal/local governments
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
(CCME)
22-15
CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND
POLICY
22-16
CANADA’S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES ARE
INFLUENCED BY OUR NEIGHBOUR

Influenced by the U.S. in its environmental
management approach because of:
 The trading relationship (e.g. NAFTA)
 The environmental resources we share

Canada-U.S. binational management of
transboundary pollution has been
characterized by cooperation and dialogue
22-17
LEGAL INSTRUMENTS ARE USED TO ENSURE
THAT ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS ARE ACHIEVED
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Acts = laws, or statutes, proposed and voted upon
by the Parliament
Regulations = specific legal instruments, a
detailed set of requirements established by
governments to allow them to enforce acts
Agreements = enforceable or voluntary; with the
goal of streamlining, clarifying, or harmonizing the
administration of environmental legislation
Permits = document that grant legal permission to
carry out an activity
22-18
LEGAL INSTRUMENTS ARE USED TO ENSURE THAT
ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS ARE ACHIEVED (CONT’D)
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Federal (e.g. Canadian Environmental Protection
Act, Fisheries Act, Canadian Wildlife Act)
Provincial (e.g. limits on discharging harmful
substances, require permits or approvals )
Aboriginal governments (e.g. resource extraction on
aboriginal lands)
Municipal/local governments (e.g. water and
sewage, noise, waste, zoning, pesticide use)
International agreements (e.g. U.N. Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species)
22-19
GOVERNMENT AND ENGOS WORK TOGETHER ON
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Stakeholder = any person or group that has an
interest in, or might be affected by, the outcome
of a particular undertaking
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ENGOs = environmental nongovernmental
organizations
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Round table = a multi-stakeholder working group
established to consult on a particular issue
22-20
DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA REQUIRE
DIFFERENT REGULATORY APPROACHES

Water law in Canada developed from two historical
legal concepts:
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Riparian law = anyone who has legal access to the
water’s edge has the legal right to withdraw water
from the resource

Prior appropriation = first come, first right principle,
by which one’s right to withdraw water is established
by historical precedent
22-21
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY HAS CHANGED WITH
THE SOCIETY AND THE ECONOMY
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1780s to 1800s: frontier ethic to tame and conquer the
wilderness (still widely prevalent)

1800s: regulate resource use, conservation and
preservation ethics
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1900s: immigrants encouraged to convert Prairie
grasslands into farms; soil conservation
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Late 1900s: policy responded to pollution and
environmental crises (Silent Spring, 1962)

2000s: public enthusiasm for environmental protection
22-22
THE SOCIAL CONTEXT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY CHANGES OVER TIME
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Factors that allowed advances in environmental
policy
- Wide evidence of environmental problems
- People could visualize policies to deal with
problems
- The political climate was ripe, with a supportive
public and leaders who were willing to act
- Economic confidence (willingness-to-pay
transition)
22-23
environmental “Kuznets curve”; as
we become more affluent, do we just
displace the pollution overseas??
22-24
22-25
22-26
THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
NOW GUIDES ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Sustainable development = “development that
meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.”
1987, United Nations Commission on Environment
and Development
 Has not been without controversy
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too vague
anthropocentric
prone to misuse and misinterpretation
contradiction in terms
22-27
SCIENTIFIC MONITORING AND REPORTING
HELPS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
DECISIONS
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State-of-the-environment reporting (SOER) = the
collection, organization, and reporting of
information that can be used to measure and
monitor changes in the environment
Indicators = values that can be measured and in
comparison to which changes can be assessed
22-28
SCIENTIFIC MONITORING AND REPORTING HELPS
WITH ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY DECISIONS (CONT’D)

Purpose of SOER
 What is happening in the environment?
 Why is it happening?
 Why is it significant?
 What is being done about it?
 Is this response sustainable?
22-29
SCIENTIFIC MONITORING AND REPORTING
HELPS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
DECISIONS (CONT’D)
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Environment Canada takes the lead role on SOER
 Other federal-levels
 Fisheries and Oceans Canada
 Parks Canada
Many municipalities also produce SOE reports
Many corporations have adopted reporting as well
22-30
SOER PRESENTS ORGANIZATIONAL
CHALLENGES
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So much environmental information that can be
measured and reported
How to sub-divide the information
Pressure–state–response (PSR) model = based on
establishing linkages and causalities
Cause-and-effect feedback loops
22-31
22-32
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND
POLICY
22-33
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
AND POLICY
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International issues can be addressed through
creative agreements
Customary law = practices or customs held by
most cultures
Conventional law = from conventions or
treaties
• Montreal Protocol: nations agreed to reduce
ozone-depleting chemicals
• Kyoto Protocol: reduces fossil fuel emissions
causing climate change (Canada withdrew in
2011)
22-34
SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS HELP SHAPE
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
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The United Nations helps nations understand and
solve environmental problems
The European Union seeks to promote Europe’s unity
and economic and social progress
The World Trade Organization has authority to impose
financial penalties and can shape environmental
policy (has interpreted some environmental laws as
unfair barriers to trade)
The World Bank funds economic development
including some unsustainable projects
22-35
SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS HELP SHAPE
INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
(CONT’D)
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Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) is concerned some countries
may impose policies that are harmful to those
who rely on fossil fuels for a substantial part
of their income
International ENGOs provide funding,
expertise, and research to environmental
problems in diverse ways
22-36
APPROACHES TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
22-37
SCIENCE PLAYS A ROLE IN POLICY, BUT IT CAN
BE POLITICIZED
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Effective policy decisions are informed by
scientific research
Sometimes policymakers ignore science
 Cod fisher in Atlantic Canada for example
• They let political ideology determine policy
• Scientists at government agencies have had
their work suppressed or discredited
 Their jobs were threatened
When taxpayer-funded research is suppressed or distorted
for political ends, everyone loses
22-38
COMMAND-AND-CONTROL POLICY HAS
IMPROVED OUR LIVES, BUT IT IS NOT PERFECT

Command-and-control approach: environmental
policy sets rules or limits and threatens punishment
for violators
• Heavy-handed
• Alternative approaches involve using economic
incentives to encourage desired outcomes and
use market dynamics to meet goals
• Most current environmental laws
• Have resulted in safe, healthy, comfortable lives
22-39
COMMAND-AND-CONTROL POLICY HAS
IMPROVED OUR LIVES, BUT IT IS NOT PERFECT
(CONT’D)

Drawbacks of command-and-control
 Government actions may be well-intentioned but not
informed
 Interest groups–people seeking private gain–unduly
influence politicians
 Citizens may view policies as restrictions on freedom
 Costly and less efficient in achieving goals
22-40
ECONOMIC TOOLS ALSO CAN BE USED
TO ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS
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Subsidy
Green taxes and “polluter pays”
Permit trading
22-41
ECONOMIC TOOLS ALSO CAN BE USED TO
ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS (CONT’D)

•
•
Subsidy = a government giveaway of cash or
resources to encourage a particular activity
Have been used to support unsustainable
activities
Could subsidize environmentally sustainable
activities instead
22-42
ECONOMIC TOOLS ALSO CAN BE USED TO
ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS (CONT’D)

•
•
•
Green taxes = taxes on environmentally harmful activities
Polluter pays principle = the price of a good or service
includes all costs, including environmental degradation
Gives companies financial incentives to reduce pollution
Costs are passed on to consumers
22-43
ECONOMIC TOOLS ALSO CAN BE USED TO
ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS (CONT’D)
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Permit trading = government-created market in
permits
 Businesses buy, sell, trade these permits
Emissions trading system = government-issued
permits for an acceptable amount of pollution and
companies buy, sell, or trade these permits with
other polluters
Cap-and-trade system = a party that reduces its
pollution levels can sell this credit to other parties
- Pollution is reduced overall, but does
increase around polluting plants
22-44
MARKET INCENTIVES ARE BEING TRIED
WIDELY ON THE LOCAL LEVEL
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Charges for waste disposal according to the
amount of waste they generate
Rebates to residents who buy water-efficient
toilets
Discounts from power companies for using
high-efficiency light bulbs and appliances
Rebate programs aimed at providing rewards
for behavioural changes
22-45
ECO-LABELLING GIVES SOME CHOICE BACK
TO THE CONSUMER
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Ecolabelling = tells consumers which brands use
environmentally benign processes
Consumers provide businesses with a powerful
incentive to switch to more sustainable processes
Socially responsible investing = entails investing
only in companies that have met certain criteria
22-46
CONCLUSION
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Environmental policy is a problem-solving tool that
uses science, ethics and economics
Conventional command-and-control approach of
legislation and regulation are most common
Environmental issues often overlap political
boundaries
Approaches to environmental management are
currently emerging in Canada
22-47