ABSTRACT
Having identified in the previous chapter that there are a number of barriers to developing effective responses to environmental problems, it is necessary to turn to a more detailed discussion of the appropriate means for solving them. There is no single or simple answer to the question of means: it depends on the nature of the issue being addressed and on the responses of industry, consumers and pressure groups. Different problems may require different types of solution, for example, taxes, charges, targets, limits, bans, or some appropriate mixture of policy responses. As discussed in the previous chapter, collective action problems lie at the heart of many environmental issues. Thus, policy responses are often attempts to solve collective action difficulties. Industry pollutes because it is a cheap method of waste disposal; resources are depleted because it is to the advantage of each to take what they can. If environmental resources are to be used in a sustainable manner, then environmental policy has to find ways of ensuring that the actions of individuals, businesses and government are themselves sustainable.
