Environmental Policy In North America

While no supranational institutions exist to govern climate change in North America, a system of cooperation among a diverse range of actors and institutions is currently emerging. Given the range of interests that influence climate policy across political boundaries, can these distinct parts be integrated into a coherent, and ultimately resilient system of regional climate cooperation? Climate Change Policy in North America is the first book to examine how cooperation respecting climate change can emerge within decentralized governance arrangements. Leading scholars from a variety of disciplines provide in-depth case studies of climate cooperation initiatives – such as emissions trading, energy cooperation, climate finance, carbon accounting and international trade – as well as analysis of the institutional, political, and economic conditions that influence climate policy integration.

This comprehensive analysis of key issues in North American environmental policy provides an overview of how the US, Mexico, and Canada differ in their environmental management approaches and capacity levels, and how these differences play into cross-border cooperation on environmental problems. The book offers insights into transboundary cooperation both before and after NAFTA, and presents a framework for making environmental interaction more effective in the future. The book is organized into two parts. The first, more general, section compares the national contexts for environmental management in each country—including economic conditions, sociocultural dynamics, and political decision-making frameworks— and shows how these have led to variations in policy approaches and levels of capacity. The authors argue that effective environmental governance in North America depends on the ability of transboundary institutions to address and mediate these differences. The book's second section illustrates this argument, using four case studies of environmental management in North America: biodiversity and protected areas, air pollution (smog); greenhouse gas reduction, and genetically modified crops.

Examines the challenges of environmental governance in contemporary North America. What are the most important transnational governance arrangements for environmental policy in North America? Has their proliferation facilitated a transition towards integrated continental environmental policy, and if so, to what degree is this integration irreversible? These governance arrangements are diverse and evolving, consisting of binational and trinational organizations created decades ago by treaties and groups of stakeholders—with varying degrees of formalization—who work together to address issues that no single country can alone. Together they provide leadership in numerous areas of environmental concern, including invasive species, energy efficiency, water, and terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. This book explores these arrangements, examining features such as stakeholder inclusion, organizational activities and functions, and issue comprehensiveness. Overall, the contributors report an underdeveloped policy architecture consisting of fragmented regional transnational networks of stakeholders and underfunded binational and trinational organizations. They also show evidence of substantial policy entrepreneurship and a vibrant informal underbelly to North American environmental governance, which will be vital in the challenging days ahead.

US Environmental Policy in Action provides a comprehensive look at the creation, implementation, and evaluation of environmental policy, which is of particular importance in our current era of congressional gridlock, increasing partisan rhetoric, and escalating debates about federal/state relations. Now in its second edition, this volume includes updated case studies, two new chapters on food policy and natural resource policy, and revised public opinion data. With a continued focus on the front lines of environmental policy, Rinfret and Pautz take into account the major changes in the practice of US environmental policy during the Trump administration. Providing real-life examples of how environmental policy works rather than solely discussing how congressional action produces environmental laws, US Environmental Policy in Action offers a practical approach to understanding contemporary American environmental policy.

This edited volume provides a variety of insights into the context in which ocean and wetlands policy is placed at the sub-continental level. The governments of Mexico, Canada, and United States of America have recognized the importance of conserving, protecting, and enhancing the environment in their territories. As a result, they have developed an institutional structure aimed at furthering environmental cooperation. However, marine environment has played a secondary role, characterized by scientific cooperation that does not develop into regional policies. This project analyzes how ocean and wetlands preservation is omitted from the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, meaning that collaborative efforts under-perform or remain largely sidelined from mainstream issues. As contributors come from a mix of the social and natural sciences (politics, international relations, law studies, sociology, oceanology, and oceanography), this book presents diverse viewpoints on how to address wetlands protection, deep ocean research collaboration, and the marine context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Authoritative and trusted, Environmental Policy once again brings together top scholars to evaluate the changes and continuities in American environmental policy since the late 1960s and their implications for the twenty-first century. Students will learn to decipher the underlying trends, institutional constraints, and policy dilemmas that shape today’s environmental politics. The Tenth Edition examines how policy has changed within federal institutions and state and local governments, as well as how environmental governance affects private sector policies and practices. The book provides in-depth examinations of public policy dilemmas including fracking, food production, urban sustainability, and the viability of using market solutions to address policy challenges. Students will also develop a deeper understanding of global issues such as climate change governance, the implications of the Paris Agreement, and the role of environmental policy in the developing world. Students walk away with a measured yet hopeful evaluation of the future challenges policymakers will confront as the American environmental movement continues to affect the political process.

Comprises 10 contributions that provide an introduction to the range of environmental issues on both borders and an understanding of the dynamics currently transforming North America. Specific topics include the British Columbia- Washington Environmental Cooperation Council, managing air quality in the Paso del Norte region, crossborder environmental management and the informal sector, and low-level hazardous waste sites in Del Rio, Dryden, and Spofford, Texas. Intended for students of environmental management and North American border studies. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR