Environmental Policy Write a 500-800 word report on ONE of the following topics: 1. Biodiversity and environmental policy 2. The Rio Declarations of 1972/2012 3. Agenda 21 4. The main features of the climate change debate 5. Best practice waste management Environmental Policy 2013 The development and implementation of environmental policy is usually a part of a wider system involving national and private interests, institutional capacity building, education (technical and social), pure and applied research (into the environmental problems), public participation, economic measures (taxes, subsidies, environmental technology transfer or preferential or subsidized terms), the financial resources available to implement environmental conservation & protection, including compliance and enforcement aspects (Public Administration). Often these financial resources may have to be found by increasing productivity or cuts in other budget areas or through funding sources such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, and/or funds under environmental treaties and foreign aid. Environmental policy will not be developed well unless the causes of environmental degradation are understood and legislative responses are integrated with economic and social development. Institutional capacity to implement and enforce legislation, its appropriateness in the context of a particular history and culture, the exploration of innovative approaches and the provision of adequate resources are issues that will be explored in more detail later in this course. While considering any materials you use, ask yourself the following questions: Given the rapid changes occurring in the nature and scale of environmental problems, what are the strategies required to respond in the short and long term? How has the growing interdependence of nations assisted in addressing transboundary environmental issues and in providing the resources for environmental policy and management capacity building at the national and international level? To what extent does environmental policy require public participation, flexibility, review of law and policy to accommodate evolving knowledge and experience and adaptation to local circumstances?