Without clean air and water cities and towns will not be livable. Everyday human activities cause air and water pollution but at the same time industries causing pollution support economies providing livelihoods. This creates a paradox. We need industries to create jobs, but we cannot sustain the long term effects for extensive air and water pollution to live on earth.
Environmental policy is a broad issue, mostly because of the socio-political dimensions of the issue. This paper presents an environmental policy analysis with the focus on clean water and air issues. It discusses existing environmental policy and problems and contradictions related to them. It also discusses the main stakeholders and the need of stakeholders and public to participate in environmental policy making and assessment. Finally this paper provides some recommendations on environmental policy implication.
Definition of the Problem
It is not an easy task to define environmental problem. The issue is too complex and broad to summarize it in several sentences.
Some people believe that environmental policy refers only to human relationships to nature; they understand that much environmental policy deals with human health concerns (Kraft & Furlong, 2009, p.341). Putting environmental policy even at a broader context, it can be defined as government actions that affect environmental quality and the use of natural resources (Kraft & Furlong, 2009, p.342).
There is no doubt that environmental issues are global issues. Entire world is facing important environmental problems that need to be addressed at both state level and collaborative international level.
United States alone is “the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels” (www.cia.gov). Besides that air pollution in the United States resulting in acid rains; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and