The Environmental Problem
Understanding the complexities of environmental issues and the government's role in addressing them, including problem identification, policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation, in order to preserve our global environment.
The Environmental Problem
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Presentation Transcript
The Environmental Problem Preserving Our Global Environment
The Policy Cycle • Identification • Agenda setting • Systemic • Institutional • Formulation • Implementation • Evaluation
Environmental Problem Identification • Is an important stage • Unidentified problems will not be addressed • The way in which a problem is perceived will influence the solutions proposed • Involves several key questions • Is there a problem? • What is it? • Government’s role?
Problem Identification: Is There A Problem, & What Is It? • From the video: • Population • Deforestation/Biodiversity • Global Warming (Greenhouse Effect)
Commonalties/Linkages • Human behavior/natural world interaction • Complexity • Trade-offs (tough choices) • Risks & opportunities
Addressing Problems Can Be Difficult • Human behavior (“We have met the enemy & he is us,” Pogo) • Limits of human knowledge • Nature • Complexity • Long time frames • Depletion
The “Bottom Line” • It is difficult to predict the exact consequences of actions • Short-term & long-term consequences may be very different • Disrupting nature inherently involves risks • So does ignoring existing disruptions (maintaining the status quo, the “default option”)
Government’s Role • Is based on its resources • Money • Power • And others • May be direct (“level playing field,” penalties, incentives) • Or indirect (education, quasi-market approaches)
Governments Face Difficulties • Resolving environmental problems often requires cooperation, which can be difficult to achieve • Standard political & governmental problems • Politics (who benefits, who pays) • Jurisdiction • Limited authority • Competing demands