Chapter 7 - Environmental Policy Flashcards
shale gas
natural gas trapped deep underground in tiny bubbles dispersed throughout formations of shale, a type of sedimentary rock. shale gas is often extracted by hydraulic fracturing
hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking or fracking)
a process to extract shale gas in which a drill is sent deep underground and angled horizontally into a shale formation; water, sand, and chemicals are pumped in under great pressure, fracturing the rock; and gas migrates up through the drill pipe as sand holds the fracture open
policy
a rule or guideline that directs individual, organized, or silicate behavior
public policy
policy made by governments, including those at the local, state, federal, and international levels; it consists of legislation, regulation, order, incentives, and practices intended to advance societal welfare
environmental policy
public policy that pertains to human interactions with the environment. it generally aims to regulate, reduce use, or reduce pollution to promote human welfare and/or protect natural systems
tragedy of commons
the process by which publically accessible resources open to unregulated use tend to become damaged and depleted through overuse. coined by govett hordin and widely applicable to resource issues
free rider
a party that fails to invest in controlling pollution or carrying out other environmentally responsible activities and instead relies on the effects of other parties to do so. examples include a factory that fails to control its emissions gets a “free ride” from those that do
polluter-pays principle
principle specifying that the party responsible for producing pollution should pay the costs of cleaning up the pollution or mitigating its impacts
revolving door
the movement of powerful officials between the private sector and government agencies
vested interests
a direct interest (from an individual or interest group) in some condition or policy change due to the prospect for personal or financial benefits even if this counteracts the common good
legislation
salutary laws
regulatory taking
the deprivation of a properties owner, by means of law or regulation, of most or all economic uses of that property
national environmental policy (NEPA)
a u.s. law enacted on January 1, 1970, that created on agency called the council on environmental quality and required that an environmental impact statement be prepared for any major federal action
environmental impact statement (EIS)
a report of results from detailed studies that assess the potential effects on the environment that would likely result from development projects or other actions undertaken by the government
environmental protection agency (EPA)
an administrative agency charged with conducting and evaluating research, maintaining environmental quality, setting standards, enforcing those standards, assisting the states in meeting standards and goals for environmental protection, and educating the public
customary law
international law that arises from long-standing practices, or customs, held in common by most cultures
conventional law
international law that arises from conventions, or treaties, that nations agree to enter into
convention (treaty)
a treaty or binding agreement among national governments
north american free trade agreement (NFTA)
a 1994 treaty among canada, mexico, and the u.s. that reduced or eliminated boundaries to trade (such as tariffs) among these nations. side agreements were negotiated to minimize the degree to which protections for workers and the environment were undermined
united nations (U.N.)
organization founded in 1945 to promote international peace and to cooperate in solving international economic , social, cultural, and humanitarian problems
world bank
institution founded in 1944 that serves as one of the globes largest sources of funding for economic development, including such major projects as dams, irrigation, infrastructure, and other undertakings
world trade organization (WTO)
organization located in geneva, Switzerland, that represents multinational corporations and promotes free trade by reducing obstacles to international commerce and enforcing fairness among nations in trading practices
European Union (EU)
poltical and economic organization ceated after WWII to promote Europes economic and social progress, as of 2013, the EU consisted of 27 member nations
nongovernmental organization (NGO)
an organization not affliliated with any national government, ane frequently international in scope, that particular mission for a political cause
command-and-control
a top down approach to policy, in which a legislative body or a regulating agency sets rates, standards, or limits and threatens punishment for violation of these limits
interest group
a small group of people seeking private gain that may work against the larger public interest
subsidy
a government grant of money or resources to a private entity, intended to support and promote an industry or activity
green tax
a levy on environmentally harmful activity and products aimed at providing a market-based incentive to correct for market failure
permit trading
the practice of buying and selling government-issued marketable emission permits to conduct environmentally harmful activities, under a cap-and-trade system, the government determines an acceptable level of pollution and then issues permits to pollute. a company receives credit for amounts it does not emit and can then sell the credit to other companies
emission trading system
a permit trading system for emissions in which a government issues marketable emission permits to conduct environmentally harmful activities, under a cap-and-trade system, the government determines an acceptable level of pollution and then issues permits to pollute. a company receives credit for amounts it does not emit and can then sell the credit to other companies
cap-and-trade
a permit trading system in which government determines an acceptable level of pollution and then issues parties permits to pollute. a company receives credit for amounts it does not emit and can then sell the credit to other companies
