The Public Policy Issues Involved in Dealing with Environmental Degradation: A Dynamic Approach

Abstract

From a public policy standpoint, the issues of environmental degradation are unique in that they involve making decisions under conditions of “strong uncertainties.” No one can calculate in probabilistic terms either the risks to societies of environmental degradation or the costs that will be encountered to bring about a lower rate. With respect to the risk, there is no way of calculating to what extent the lives of people might be shortened by living in a densely populated and multifariously polluted city such as Los Angeles. Physicians have only a very rough idea of how respiratory and heart diseases are affected by certain kinds of contaminants. However, the more that is learned about the risks of environmental degradation, the more serious they appear. This has been proven true with respect to radioactivity as well as with respect to cigarette smoking. And there is no reason to suppose it will not be true with respect to other pollutants.

“The System” and the Environment

In order to function effectively environmental chemists must certainly have some concept of economics—not only the economics of textbooks, but also the economics of real life in which the pulse of progress is fueled by the motive of profit. It is necessary to see how the often restrictive demands of environmental chemistry interact with the present expensive free enterprise economic system.