Environmental management as a third-world problem

Abstract

Of the three major sources of environmental deterioration — CFCs, carbon dioxide, and deforestation and land degradation — only the first two can be eased by industrial policies alone. The second and third also require changes in mass behavior, especially in pre-industrial countries. In order to encourage action on the part of their governments, international agencies have supported the preparation of more than fifty country environmental profiles. The next steps will require a careful analysis of current direct and indirect policies influencing human behavior toward the environment. This article describes the ‘policy environment of environmental policies’ in third-world countries and suggests a strategy for creating a coherent body of incentives to motivate environment-supporting public behavior.