ENVS 450

Environmental Law & Policy

When we describe environmental problems, we typically begin with physical descriptions: water is too polluted to drink; soil is contaminated; the species is near extinction; there is too much ozone in the troposphere, or too little in the stratosphere. However, when we examine the causes of these problems in the physical environment, we are usually led to sources in our social environment: political and economic incentives to overuse natural resources, technological advances with unknown consequences, moral and cultural values that overlook the environment. Indeed, environmental problems are social problems. Similarly, to understand our solutions to environmental problems we must recognize them in both their physical and social contexts. This is the field of environmental law and policy.

This course is designed to examine environmental problems as social problems, and introduce you to policies and laws designed to alleviate them. While the course readings focus on national statutes, you and your classmates will complement them with explorations of environmental programs and policies at all levels of society. During the process, you will analyze the policy tools used by them, and develop alternative approaches that may be more effective.