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Re: Environmental Policy Failures compiled list

Matthew Paterson
Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:24:59 -0700

There's a good discussion of the rebound effect in:

Energy Policy 2000. ŒOn the rebound?¹, Special Issue edited by Lee Schipper,
Energy Policy 28, 6-7.

The rebound effect is effectively a special case of the 'Jevons paradox'
expounded by Stanley Jevons in the 1865.

Cheers

Mat
-- 
Matthew Paterson
Professor of Political Science
School of Political Studies
Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
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Ottawa, Ontario
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tel: +1 613 562-5800 x1716
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> From: Steven Bernstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:05:49 -0400
> To: "VanDeveer, Stacy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Cc: Ruba Marshood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
> <gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu>
> Subject: RE: Environmental Policy Failures compiled list
> 
> In regard to Stacy's comments, there is a literature on the "rebound
> effect" that might be of interest.  I.e., the idea that increased
> efficiencies can have the perverse effect of encouraging people to consume
> more.  Sorry I don't have citations offhand.  I gather there is also a
> debate about its robustness.
> 
> Steven
> 
> On Tue, 10 Jun 2008, VanDeveer, Stacy wrote:
> 
>> Hi - I'll add on too.
>> 
>> I think you might look for several examples of policies that improved
>> environmental efficiency (if way use such language), bur failed to
>> protect the environment.  For example, neither US CAFÉ standards nor
>> European style petrol taxes have stopped the growth in vehicle miles
>> traveled or the growth in aggregate demand for gasoline (with all of
>> the incumbent environmental implications).  In other words, I think
>> one might pay special attention to policies that were successful in
>> meeting some of their goals, but still failed to curb significant
>> aspects of environmental damage.
>> 
>> --sv
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> 
>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ruba Marshood
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 11:05 AM
>> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Cc: gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu
>> Subject: Re: Environmental Policy Failures compiled list
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I would suggest adding - to the note on sharks - that they are not only
>> harmed via by-catch, but also in targetted fisheries. the biggest threat is
>> practice in which they are treated after being caught (whether incidentally
>> or not) - in that they are finned and dumped back to sea. Essentially, this
>> is cost-effective practice as the market values fins over the rest of the
>> body by the tenfold...so for the fishers, it is much greater profit to take
>> only the fins of as many sharks as possible rather than take the whole shark
>> on board, with limited space, and have fewer fins.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> thanks for sharing!
>> 
>> ruba
>> 
>> On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 10:46 AM, Shannon K. Orr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> 
>> Thank you so much to everyone who replied with examples of
>> environmental policy failures.  It was depressing but useful.
>> Below is the compiled list:
>> 
>> Shannon
>> 
>> - collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland
>> - European emissions trading scheme
>> - Yellowstone Wildfires
>> - Sharks are being torn out the ocean, but as by-catch, and no-on
>> pays attention to by-catch and beyond that sharks have little
>> salience in policy circles (here CITES has been neutered-- we
>> only have 4 sharks listed, one on the strict list but almost all
>> the great sharks have collapsed).
>> 
>> - Coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass communities are getting
>> shredded. Mangroves have many domestic laws protecting them as
>> commons, but the same countries sanction enclosure and tearing
>> them down for shrimp ponds.
>> - US failure to sign Kyoto
>> - the fizzle of the National Acid Precip. Assess Project...
>> - why the local public utility commission doesn't promote least
>> cost procurement that includes energy efficiency and/or renewable
>> energy, and internalizes true socio-environmental costs of all
>> energy alternatives
>> 
>> Other References:
>> - Paul F. Steinberg "Understanding Policy Change in Developing
>> Countries: The Spheres of Infuence Framework" Global
>> Environmental Politics 3:1, February 2003
>> 
>> Ludwig et al, about 1993 had a great short piece in either
>> Science or Nature, on failure of fishery policy.
>> 
>> - Dimitrov, Radoslav S., Detlef F. Sprinz, Gerald M. DiGiusto,
>> and Alexander Kelle. 2007. International Nonregimes: A Research
>> Agenda. International Studies Review 9 (2):230-258.
>> 
>> - Rado S. Dimitrov, "Confronting Non-Regimes: Science and
>> International Coral Reef Policy," Journal of Environment and
>> Development, vol. 11, no. 1 (March 2002), pp. 53-78.
>> 
>> - EEA (2005) Environmental policy integration in Europe - State
>> of play and an evaluation framework, EEA Technical report No.
>> 2/2005, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen,
>> http://reports.eea.eu.int/technical_report_2005_2/ (7/6/05).
>> 
>> - OECD (2002) Improving Policy Coherence and Integration for
>> Sustainable Development: A Checklist, Organisation for Economic
>> Cooperation and Development, Paris,
>> www.oecd.org/dataoecd/60/1/1947305.pdf
>> 
>> - Jordan, A. and Lenschow, A. (2000) 'Greening' the European
>> Union: what can be learnt from the 'leaders' of EU environmental
>> policy?, European Environment, 10, 109-120.
>> 
>> - Jordan, A. and Schout, A. (2005) National EU policy
>> coordination and 'integration' in EU policies. In Environmental
>> Policy Integration Mechanisms and Tools, CSERGE-UEA, 21-22 March
>> 2005, Norwich. Available at
>> http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/highlights/march%20conf/
>> envpol_integration_programme.htm
>> <http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/highlights/march%20conf/envpol_integration_p
>> rogramme.htm>  (22/3/05).
>> 
>> - Lenschow, A. (2002a) Conclusion: what are the bottlenecks and
>> where are the opportunities for greening the EU? In Environmental
>> Policy Integration: Greening Sectoral Policies in Europe (Ed,
>> Lenschow, A.) Earthscan, London, pp. 219-233.
>> 
>> - Lenschow, A. (2002b) Greening the European Union. In
>> Environmental Policy Integration: Greening Sectoral Policies in
>> Europe (Ed, Lenschow, A.) Earthscan, London, pp. 3-21.
>> 
>> - Liberatore, A. (1997) The Integration of Sustainable Development
>> Objectives into EU Policy Making: Barriers and prospects. In The
>> Politics of Sustainable Development: Theory, policy and practice
>> within the European Union (Eds, Baker, S., Kousis, M.,
>> Richardson, D. and Young, S.) Routledge, London.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Shannon K. Orr, Ph.D.
>> Graduate Coordinator (MPA)/Assistant Professor
>> Department of Political Science 110 Williams Hall
>> Bowling Green State University
>> Bowling Green, OH 43403-0220
>> (419)372-7593
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> ----------------
> Steven Bernstein
> Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
> Associate Director, Centre for International Studies
> University of Toronto
> 1 Devonshire Place
> Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3K7
> Tel: 416 946-8930 Fax: 416 946-8915
> E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 
> 
>