The environmental issues have always been put in the “corner of political agenda” (Rushefsky, 215) not only in the United States but almost in all states all over the world. They have been a subject of underestimation in concurrence with other problems as energy sources and economics.
Unfortunately the goals of the environmental policies often compete with each other and do not contribute to their implementation by the governments. For instance, the goal of security contradicts the goal of efficiency providing the sense of uncertainty and the possibility of different interpretations. The individual’s or entity’s liberty rights are, in major cases, disturbed by environmental policies so an inevitable clash appears between environmental values and individual’s or entity’s liberty interest. There are two approaches of the governments, i. e. risk-averse approach where the governments decide to take actions to decrease the potential harm nevertheless there are not conclusive evidence for that, and risk-tolerant approach where the governments refuse to take actions until there are unarguable scientific evidence for such possibility. The survey shows that the common between the administrations (from Ronald Reagan’s administration till Obama’s today administration) emphasize on issues related to environment in their election platforms, since many voters are interested in these issues but after being elected they more or less forget their pre-election promises and become partial to the problems of the industry which is the main reason for environmental pollution. The preventive approach of the risk-adverse administrations is always preferable since it prevents the environment from damages which are very difficult (if not at all) to be repaired. The investment in environmental policies does not bring direct and quick results which makes most of the governmental administrations to be more risk-tolerant and not to oppose the interest of the big corporations which actually provide for their ruling.
The cost-benefit analysis of the environmental policies adopted by most of administrations sometimes borders on genocide because who can estimate human’s life in cash. The cost-analysis is necessary but if it is a decisive factor for the implementation of an environmental policy, that sounds cynically.
The property rights movement plays a positive role against the frivolousness of some administrations but its actions have to be performed always in consequence with the environmental policies. The example given in the study for building a factory on a private land which pollutes the water of a town situated down the river that runs through this private land and all factory’s waste waters are poured in the river is very illustrative for wrong defying the property rights liberty.
The global warming is an extremely serious problem that no one single government can solve it alone. Only the united efforts and strict regulations imposed by all governments in the world can eventually stop or decrease the harmful consequences of it. So stays the issue with the fossil energy resources that nevertheless the auspicious results (more job places and energy independence) lead to iрreversible damages to the environment.
The side effects of the environmental policies, unfortunately, are not always very favorable. Melissa Checker in her article Wiped Out by the “Greenwave”: Environmental Gentrification and the Paradoxical Politics of Urban Sustainability (2011) writes: “sustainability planning becomes part of a post-political project based on technocratic, deliberation and consensus, which sidelines questions of real political inclusion and justice.” (Checker, p. 213) She gives examples in Harlem where she examines the fact that completing environmental projects in most of the cases the areas become more expensive and the poor inhabitants have to be replaced with richer ones.
As a conclusion it may be underlined that the implementation of environmental policies is expensive, not quickly irreversible action but extremely important for the future of our planet and future generations that are coming to inhabit it.
Works cited
Checker, M., 2011, Wiped Out by the “Greenwave”: Environmental Gentrification and the Paradoxical Politics of Urban Sustainability, City & Society, Vol. 23, 2, pp. 210 – 229, DOI: 0.1111/j.1548-744X.2011.01063.x. Web Accessed on July 17, 2016
Rushefsky, M., 2013, Policy In the United States, 5th edition, M. E. Sharpe Inc., ISBN: 978-0-7656-2528-1, Print
