What Economics Teaches Us About Environmental Protection, Chad J. Mcguire
Jan 2015
What Economics Teaches Us About Environmental Protection, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
A basic premise in economics is that companies should pay all of the costs that are incurred in the process of producing their goods and services. The reason? By incurring all of the costs in production, the price charged by the company will reflect those costs. The price consumers pay, then, will also reflect all of the costs incurred in production. This leads to price efficiency, a major goal in free-market economic principles.
Unfortunately we don’t always include the costs to the environment in the production process. Take, for example, electricity generation, which can be accomplished using different inputs. Coal-burning …
Preparing For Disaster: How Our Voting Sends The Wrong Message, Chad J. Mcguire
Jan 2015
Preparing For Disaster: How Our Voting Sends The Wrong Message, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
I would like to propose that we, the voting public, bear an important respon- sibility when it comes to our role in providing for the public good. Evi- dence is clear that in our system of government, elected officials are recep- tive to how we vote. If we choose to understand and prioritize the benefits of preparing for disaster, it is likely our elected offi- cials will follow our lead. But if we fail to realize the benefits of preparing, then it is more likely politi- cians will respond to those signals, throwing money at a problem that is not …
Market Failures And Protecting The Environment, Chad J. Mcguire
Jan 2015
Market Failures And Protecting The Environment, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
Whether you agree with government intervention, or with the specific form of gov- ernment intervention applied, it is a fact that government becomes involved in environ- mental issues because, to date, we have failed to fully inter- nalize the costs of our actions toward the environment in our market systems. So this is why government becomes involved in the first place, to correct existing and recurring market failures. Knowing this important fact helps us better understand, and judge, envi- ronmental laws and policies.
Rising Sea Levels Challenge Flood Insurance Management, Chad J. Mcguire
Jan 2015
Rising Sea Levels Challenge Flood Insurance Management, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
Our climate is changing. And the trend of this climate change shows the earth is, on average, getting warmer. We in New England emerged from a very cold winter in 2014 making it hard for us to see (and thus believe) the earth is getting warmer. But this is the trick of cli- mate change: The pattern of overall warming is hard to see on a day-to-day basis. We tend to judge our climate through experiencing our local weather patterns: When the weather is cold like it has been in our region over the past winter, it is hard for …
Valuing Ecosystem Services In Coastal Management Policy: Looking Beyond The Here And Now, Chad J. Mcguire
Dec 2014
Valuing Ecosystem Services In Coastal Management Policy: Looking Beyond The Here And Now, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
This article explores how the identification and account- ing of ecosystem services can aid coastal management policies, particularly as management looks to a future that includes the impacts of climate change. At the core of making better deci- sions is an understanding of the value of ecosystem services. The economic context of ecosystem services is explored in order to outline what may be considered a complete account- ing of costs. Once contextualized, ecosystem services will then be applied to current coastal management issues associ- ated with sea level rise. In particular, policy-relevant questions about mitigating and adapting to sea level …
The Role Of Risk Perception In Building Sustainable Policy Instruments: A Case Study Of Public Coastal Flood Insurance In The Usa, Chad J. Mcguire
Dec 2014
The Role Of Risk Perception In Building Sustainable Policy Instruments: A Case Study Of Public Coastal Flood Insurance In The Usa, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
Public planning for sustainability implies a forward-looking approach that often includes imagining future harm and taking steps to prevent that future harm before it occurs. A major challenge to implementing such forward looking, or precautionary, a policy instrument is managing the impacts such policies have on existing expectations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of risk perception in the development of forward-looking policy instruments. A case study example focused on coastal flood insurance in the USA is presented to highlight the difficulty of implementing sustainable policy goals when current policies incentivise the discounting of risk. The …
Climate-Induced Sea Level Rise And Sustainable Coastal Management: The Influence Of Existing Policy Frameworks On Risk Perception, Chad J. Mcguire
Nov 2014
Climate-Induced Sea Level Rise And Sustainable Coastal Management: The Influence Of Existing Policy Frameworks On Risk Perception, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
This article looks at the role of existing government policies on perceptions of risk and the impact they have on developing forward-looking sustainable policy instruments. Coastal flood insurance policy in the United States is examined as a way of exploring the relationship between policy instruments and risk perception. Insights include the importance of understanding the role of community risk perception in policy development, as well as the role of historical and existing policies in influencing community risk perception.
Losing The Message: Some Policy Implications Of Anthropocentric Indirect Arguments For Environmental Protection, Chad J. Mcguire
Sep 2014
Losing The Message: Some Policy Implications Of Anthropocentric Indirect Arguments For Environmental Protection, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The value of anthropocentric indirect arguments (AIAs), as stated by Elliott (2014), is to focus on non-environmental benefits that derive from actions or policies that also benefit the environment. The key difference with these indirect arguments—from more direct anthropocentric arguments—is they focus on human benefits unrelated to the environment. So, for example, less coal burning power plants means less respiratory illness and higher worker productivity. The air is cleaner, but rather than clean air being the goal in arguing for less coal burning power plants, healthier people is the goal. Or as Elliott notes, clean energy can create jobs, and …
Regulatory Takings Claims And Coastal Management Of Sea Level Rise: Remembering Governments Are More Than Regulators, Chad J. Mcguire
Jan 2012
Regulatory Takings Claims And Coastal Management Of Sea Level Rise: Remembering Governments Are More Than Regulators, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the roles government can take on that exist outside the traditional regulatory powers of government. Two such nonregulatory roles include the rights of government as the property owner of submerged lands, and the rights/ obligations of government as trustee of the public trust under the public trust doctrine that exists at common law and also statutorily in many coastal states. The reasons these nonregulatory roles are important considerations is because of the reasonable argument that a government that is not acting in a regulatory capacity cannot be said to be …
Coastal Planning, Federal Consistency, And Climate Change: A Recent Divergence Of Federal And State Interests, Chad J. Mcguire
Dec 2011
Coastal Planning, Federal Consistency, And Climate Change: A Recent Divergence Of Federal And State Interests, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The purpose of this article is to identify the contrasting policy approaches being undertaken at the state and federal levels with respect to climate change and offshore resource development respectively, noting how these respective approaches are leading to a divergence between state and federal priorities in the marine environment. The divergent approaches identified will be placed in the context of the CZMA, particularly the federal consistency requirement of that act, which helps to define the relationship between state and federal actions in ocean waters. Legal issues that arise from this divergence will be identified and analyzed. We begin with identification …
Climate Adaptation And The Fifth Amendment Of The U.S. Constitution: A Regulatory Takings Analysis Of Adaptation Strategies In Coastal Development With Application To Connecticut’S Coastal Management Regime, Chad J. Mcguire, Jason Hill
Dec 2011
Climate Adaptation And The Fifth Amendment Of The U.S. Constitution: A Regulatory Takings Analysis Of Adaptation Strategies In Coastal Development With Application To Connecticut’S Coastal Management Regime, Chad J. Mcguire, Jason Hill
Chad J McGuire
As climate change impacts are realized at the governance level, states and local governments are moving towards adaptation strategies that include increasing restrictions on how land is used in coastal zones. The purpose of this article is to review state regulatory strategies that are attempting to adapt to climate change in light of limits placed on those strategies by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution: the prohibition against the taking of private property by government action without a public purpose and just compensation. This article highlights the importance in identifying the roles governments can take beyond the role …
Are Update Volume 14, Number 1, Richard Sexton, Robert Stavins, David Victor, Matthew Kahn, Christopher Knittel, Dan Sumner, John Rosen-Molina
Sep 2010
Are Update Volume 14, Number 1, Richard Sexton, Robert Stavins, David Victor, Matthew Kahn, Christopher Knittel, Dan Sumner, John Rosen-Molina
Matthew E Kahn
California’s Climate Change Policy: The Economic and Environmental Impacts of AB 32
AB 32 and Climate Change: The National Context of State Policies for a Global Commons Problem
The Political Context for California’s Climate Change Policy
The Political Economy of Climate Change Legislation: An Economist’s Perspective
Economic Models of AB 32: An Evaluation
Impacts of AB 32 on Agriculture
A Case Study Of Carbon Sequestration Potential Of Land Use Policies Favoring Re-Growth And Long-Term Protection Of Temperate Forests, Chad J. Mcguire
Feb 2010
A Case Study Of Carbon Sequestration Potential Of Land Use Policies Favoring Re-Growth And Long-Term Protection Of Temperate Forests, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
There is a traditional view suggesting forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Pregitzer & Euskirchen, 2004), but they cease to serve as a carbon sink as they fully mature (Odum, 1969). Recent modeling of old-growth forest carbon sequestration indicate they continue to serve as a “net sink” of carbon even after maturity (Carey, Sala, Keane, & Callaway, 2001; Zhou et al., 2006) - sequestering an average of 2.4 +/- 0.8 tC ha-1 yr-1 (tC = metric tons of carbon; ha = hectare; yr =year), and yielding a ratio of heterotrophic respiration (Rh) to net primary production (NPP) of approximately …
The Limits And Opportunities Of Networks: Municipalities And Canadian Climate Change Policy, Christopher D. Gore
Dec 2009
The Limits And Opportunities Of Networks: Municipalities And Canadian Climate Change Policy, Christopher D. Gore
Christopher D Gore
Research on climate change policy and politics has become increasingly focused on the actions and influence of subnational governments. In North America, this attention has been particularly focused on why subnational governments have taken action in the absence of national leadership, what effect action might have on future national climate policy, and whether the collective action of networks of municipal governments are reshaping and challenging the character of national and global climate governance. This paper examines Canadian municipal climate in light of the absence of a comprehensive and effective climate national strategy. The paper considers various reasons why local governments …
Local Government Responses To Climate Change: Our Last, Best Hope?, Christopher Gore, Pamela Robinson
Dec 2008
Local Government Responses To Climate Change: Our Last, Best Hope?, Christopher Gore, Pamela Robinson
Christopher D Gore
No abstract provided.
Barriers To Canadian Municipal Response To Climate Change, Pamela J. Robinson, Christopher D. Gore
Dec 2004
Barriers To Canadian Municipal Response To Climate Change, Pamela J. Robinson, Christopher D. Gore
Christopher D Gore
No abstract provided.
Policy Implications Of The Kyoto Protocol For Canada: An Overview, Steven Bernstein, Christopher D. Gore
Dec 2000
Policy Implications Of The Kyoto Protocol For Canada: An Overview, Steven Bernstein, Christopher D. Gore
Christopher D Gore
No abstract provided.
