ABSTRACT
Environmental problems raise important questions about the capacity of modern governments to solve difficult dilemmas. This chapter begins with an example of how environmental policies can lead to major domestic and international disputes. It then goes on to look at:
changes in the character of environmental problems
the leading policy actors and institutions in the United Kingdom
the long-standing British philosophy of pollution control
new pressures, especially from developments within the EU
the difficulties that confront the New Labour government in any attempt to implement its ambitious environmental goals.
