Size Always Matters

Valeria Giberti

November 20, 2011

World Politics – Professor Craig

Briefing Paper

Size Always Matters

When talking about environment, only one thing comes to mind: green. Since the environmental movement began on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day, there have been numerous differing opinions regarding the government’s role in the protection of the environment (West). Usually, the governments are mostly concerned with monetary expenses and sometimes forgo the beneficial aspect of the rules they are implementing. Most of the green issues almost never present a solution that is both economically helpful and environmentally friendly, so the government is forced to choose between the two. The fact that the government has to choose between the environment and the economy has posed a problem for the environmental movement. Although the government is concerned about what happens to the economy and somewhat concerned about what happens to the planet, the technological advancements being made in the green departments are both dangerous and beneficial at the same time, making it difficult for the government to decide what is best for the nation.

Society is constantly concerned with manipulating the environment to our advantage. Sometimes this method has severe repercussions. However, there have been environmental changes that have been beneficial to the local economy and to the environment. In London, England, there has been a growing debate among the conservationists regarding the preservation of the environment and the affects it has on the poorest communities who live there (Davies). According to the Webster’s Online Dictionary, conservationists are those who are advocates or proponents of the protection of the environment from destruction or pollution (Dictionary – Definition of Conservationist). Having said this, the English community has been concerned with the large amount of cutting that has been destroying the forests rich in biodiversity in the regions. This constant damage has raised awareness to the quality of life the poorer citizens are being put through. A way to solve this problem is through a program called the Payments for Environmental Services (EPS). “The idea is that local communities are paid depending on the outcome of agreed objectives, such as stopping forest clearance, poaching and wildfires,” (Davies).

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This chart shows what the PES is trying to resolve. The use of Land A is more appealing to businesses, but the use of Land B is more beneficial to the community as a whole. Since different types of land have different pros and cons, the landowners tend to go for the and that is more profitable and not the one that is more environmentally friendly because it becomes less profitable. This problem could cause land usage that is not socially beneficial to the surrounding communities. In order to solve this issue, the PES offers the landowners of Land A payments for using Land B because of its benefits. This way, the community as a whole, the landowner from land A and the costs of downstream all win. For the PES program to work, it needs to have base payments to providers on payments by users, to actually deliver services (meaning getting the science right and having tested the methods so it actually works), and to tailor the mechanism to each area’s needs. The PES program is efficient because it protects what needs to be protected and does not waste the money on something that does not need to be conserved (Environmental Economics and Indicators). Although it is environmentally friendly, the costs balance out because of the location.

In class we were asked which city we thought was more green, Vermont or New York City. If you were like me and thought about the actual greenery, you would have responded Vermont. It turns out that New York City is one of the greenest communities in the United States and in the world. They have become so environmentally friendly because their change from being a polluted city to making efforts in the green departments made a huge dent in the statistical numbers mainly because of its size. Because of the amount of resources it has to offer, it has more potential to making a difference in the environmental movement. The buildings, transportation, and policies are all becoming greener. In regards to making greener policies, Mayor Bloomberg issued a mandate stating that the city needs to reach a 30% reduction in greenhouse emissions in order to make the air healthier and to lessen the Greenhouse Effect. In regards to transportation, the Taxi and Limousine Commission has agreed that the vehicles being used, with the exception of accessible taxicabs, have to reach at least a mileage of 25 mpg. In regards to the buildings, the city has found a way to build buildings in a way that minimizes the use of energy, water and other natural resources (Green Industry).

The constant dilemma as to what the government should do to protect the environment is dictated by the benefits of the outcome. Depending on where the advances and progresses are being implemented, the government needs to make a decision towards what is best for the community and what is best financially. Although there are not many solutions that have this combination, it is up to the government to make it happen.

Works Cited

"Dictionary - Definition of Conservationist." Webster's Online Dictionary - with Multilingual Thesaurus Translation. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .

"Environmental Economics & Indicators - What Is Payments for Environmental Services?" World Bank Group. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .

"Green Industry." New York City Development Corporation. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .

Davies, Catriona. "Does Paying to Protect the Environment Work? - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .

West, Larry. "Environmentalism - Environmental Movement - When Did the U.S. Environmental Movement Begin?" Environmental Issues - News and Information about the Environment. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .