Environmental Policy clearly explains how the social sciences relate to environmental policy making and how they can be used to achieve policies for a sustainable future. It deals with environmental policy-making at institutional, national and international levels, and emphasises the solutions, as well as the problems.
Within the overall context of sustainable development the book discusses the opportunities and constraints that environmental systems place upon the operation of human systems. It suggests environmental policy is a potential way to modify the operation of human systems so that they function within environmental constraints. Key social scientific concepts (political, social and economic) are used to explain the background for the formulation and implementation of environmental policy.
Environmental problems, the role of humans in creating them, sustainable development and how this concept relates to environmental policy are all introduced. The book then considers environmental policy formulation, implementation and evaluation, within three specific contexts: the firm, the nation state and at the international level. It also reviews the place of economics, science and technology in environmental policy.
Environmental Policy is an accessible text with a multidisciplinary perspective. Detailed case-studies, drawn from a range of international examples, are used throughout to illustrate issues such as global warming, international trade, tourism and the human rights of indigenous peoples. It is well illustrated and includes end of chapter summaries and further reading.