A comparison of new economic methods in USSR environmental policy with western approaches |
| |
Authors: | Alfred Eberhardt |
| |
Institution: | (1) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), P.O. Box 47074, Nairobi, Kenya |
| |
Abstract: | Previous comparative studies on environmental policies in the East and West mainly focused on relating differing features
of environmental management to different political, social/economic, and ideological conditions in both systems. The present
article attempts to identify common experiences. In this respect, an obvious similarity can be seen in the fact that environmental
management in the East and West emerged as a regulatory “command and control” approach, which was supplemented later by economic
incentives. The 1988 USSR Resolution “On the Radical Transformation of the System of Natural Conservation” introduces a set
of economic instruments as one of its main elements. This is less a radical change of environmental policy than a determined
acceleration of previous approaches. Existing and newly designed economic methodologies provoke a comparison with similar
approaches in market economies. The economic methods designed in the 1988 resolution include charges for the use of natural
resources and the emission of pollutants, which are notable for their firm commitment to reduce emissions even below set regulatory
standards. While experiences with this approach may be of great interest for Western countries, liability regulations of the
United States can be of great use for designing relevant provisions implementing the USSR resolution. A number of bilateral
treaties have demonstrated already the political relevance of an East-West exchange of experience in environmental management. |
| |
Keywords: | Economic instruments USSR environmental policy East-West exchange of experiences Emission charges Liability Emission trading |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|