Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Introduction
Since 1970 virtually every country in the world has grown concerned
about the natural environment. From the United States to China and
from Sweden to Kenya, citizens and governments have acted to protect air,
water, and land. Of nearly 200 independent nations, only a few like North
Korea do not at least claim to have programs. Indeed, among democracies,
environmental programs are extensive. Moreover they are quite similar,
with laws and agencies that are nearly interchangeable (which is not to say
they are equally effective). The reasons for similar programs range from
parallel histories to direct borrowing. Governments copy laws and protest
groups copy demonstrations in other countries. Interest groups imitate
one another across national borders, and those such as Greenpeace and
Friends of the Earth are worldwide with branches in many countries.
The purpose of comparing policies in different countries is both practi-
cal and theoretical. Learning about successes and failures can guide best
practices. Comparing how various countries decide can enlighten political
science. All industrial countries face similar environmental problems and
have often addressed them in similar ways. For example, clean water laws
in the United States and Europe are parallel, and indeed often are copied
word for word. An older example is the national park movement. The first
was Yellowstone National Park in the United States in 1872, followed by
Australia and Canada soon after. Later Britain and France established
large national parks in the Lake District and the Pyrénées.
Environmental ideas, concepts, and solutions diffuse from one country
to another. In 1962 Rachel Carson published
Silent Spring
about the dan-
gers of pesticides, which gained immediate attention in the United States.
It also gained popular attention in Europe. Within months, the League for
Bird Protection in Germany was distributing thousands of free copies of
its guides. The club leaders decided this was the best thing they could do to
