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Articles 1 - 23 of 23
Full-Text Articles in Environmental Policy
What Economics Teaches Us About Environmental Protection, Chad J. Mcguire
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 …
Public Policy Frameworks In Environmental Settings: An Argument For New Policy Frameworks To Support New Policy Directions, Chad J. Mcguire
Public Policy Frameworks In Environmental Settings: An Argument For New Policy Frameworks To Support New Policy Directions, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
Environmental policy is about solving problems, not creating them. Policy frameworks are meant to be supportive of policy initiatives. Most environmental initiatives are impacted by new information, and as such, policy frameworks should be responsive to new information. Often existing policy frameworks limit the ability of information that suggests a change in policy direction. This article discusses some of the causes for this phenomenon and suggests that new policy frameworks should be considered in supporting new policy directions, rather than relying on the manipulation of existing policy frameworks.
Regulatory Takings Claims And Coastal Management Of Sea Level Rise: Remembering Governments Are More Than Regulators, Chad J. Mcguire
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 …
Systems Thinking Applied To U.S. Federal Fisheries Management, Chad J. Mcguire, Bradley P. Harris
Systems Thinking Applied To U.S. Federal Fisheries Management, Chad J. Mcguire, Bradley P. Harris
Chad J McGuire
The goal of this article is to provide the reader with a kind of historical case study on how fisheries law and policy evolution has brought management of the resource to a more ‘systems-centered’ approach. In addition to this historical rendition, another goal of this article is to identify some areas of potential growth, specifically the development of legal instruments that are more adapted to systems principles.
Coastal Planning, Federal Consistency, And Climate Change: A Recent Divergence Of Federal And State Interests, Chad J. Mcguire
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
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 …
A Framework For Analyzing Information Flows In Public Policy Decision-Making: A Move Towards Building Sustainable Policy Instruments, Chad J. Mcguire
A Framework For Analyzing Information Flows In Public Policy Decision-Making: A Move Towards Building Sustainable Policy Instruments, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The purpose of this paper is to explain a framework that focuses on information flows as a means of understanding public policy decision-making, with a specific emphasis on information relating to sustainable development. The goal of this framework is to further aid in identifying and explaining the extent to which sustainability goals are being implemented in public policy decisions. The suggestion is that by focusing on the information flows directly related to sustainable information, instances can be isolated where specific pieces of information are not making their way to final decision-making processes, or alternatively, where new information interferes with sustainable …
A Review Of Amendment 16 To The Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, Jonathon N. Feinberg, Chad J. Mcguire
A Review Of Amendment 16 To The Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, Jonathon N. Feinberg, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The purpose of this article is to review Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, highlighting some of the legal and policy implications to the fishing community and regulatory bodies. Questions of impact are framed from the local fishing community perspective, while larger questions of regulatory implications, including statutory purpose, are identified where appropriate. The article concludes by identifying necessary policy questions that need to be resolved if we are to move toward a coherent strategy of national fisheries management that is both rational for the sake of the resource, and equitable to those who are most directly …
Who Owns The Fish? Moving From The Commons To Federal Ownership Of Our National Fisheries, John B. Walden, Chad J. Mcguire
Who Owns The Fish? Moving From The Commons To Federal Ownership Of Our National Fisheries, John B. Walden, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The purpose of this article is to explore a premise that fishery management at the federal level would be more effective if the U.S. government simply charged for the privilege to commercially harvest fish. This argument is supported by a mix of historical fact-finding and legal precedent, brought together in an attempt to identify a basic economic principle of property rights. The goal is to allow both practitioners and policy makers an opportunity to view fishery management options through a lens of government property rights, and show how a rational distribution of those rights through advancing market mechanisms may provide …
Marine Mammals And International Trade: Balancing Social Conscience With Trade Obligations – A Summary And Update On The World Trade Organization Seal Products Dispute, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of the current debate surrounding the proposed European Union expansion of barriers to trade in seal products. This article will also identify some of the potential legal issues at the heart of the ban. Finally, some policy considerations that may arise depending on how this case ultimately resolves itself will be highlighted. What is reinforced in this case study is the notion that the interaction between domestic policy and international law can often create unique frustrations where seemingly independent goals can lead to legal conflicts. This case study is an …
The Nonexistence Of Sustainability In International Maritime Shipping: Issues For Consideration, Chad J. Mcguire, Helen Perivier
The Nonexistence Of Sustainability In International Maritime Shipping: Issues For Consideration, Chad J. Mcguire, Helen Perivier
Chad J McGuire
There is an ongoing practice in the international shipping community that impacts fundamental notions of sustainability as defined in the peer-reviewed literature (WCED, 1987; Gladwin, Kennelly & Krause, 1995; McManus, 1996, Naess, 2003; McGregor, 2004). The practice is based in discounting the true costs of maritime shipping through a system of open registries. By engaging in such practices, there is an inherent failure by the international community to internalize the true costs (environmental, social, labor, etc.) associated with shipping. The result is a practice that artificially keeps the international costs of maritime shipping low at the expense of environmental and …
Some Back-Ended Legal And Political Issues In United States Fisheries Management, Chad J. Mcguire, Bradley P. Harris
Some Back-Ended Legal And Political Issues In United States Fisheries Management, Chad J. Mcguire, Bradley P. Harris
Chad J McGuire
In response to over-exploitation and ecosystem degradation, United States federal fisheries policy is shifting from species-based to ecosystem-based management. In addition, the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 identifies the following goals to be achieved by 2011: end over-fishing, create market-based incentives, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and improve cooperative conservation efforts. We refer to these goals (including the “status quo”) as front-ended policy objectives. Left unresolved are what we term back-ended policy and legal issues, specifically including issues involving the legal limitations that inhibit full consideration of ecosystem-based management principles through the adopting of scientific information. In …
Sustainable Approaches To Managing Small-Scale Ecosystems: A Case Study Of Vernal Pool Protection In The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, United States Of America, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
This paper reviews the current management scheme used by Massachusetts to protect vernal pools, which represent small-scale ecosystems, and analyzes its relative strengths and weaknesses from an overall sustainability standpoint by looking at the frameworks developed for management. The frameworks are analyzed to determine if the objectives of vernal pool protection are being met. The initial impression is the outcomes are not meeting the objective of overall vernal pool protection, because there are failures in the drivers (mainly the certification requirement), which limits the number of verbal pools actually protected. An expansion of the current Massachusetts program is suggested to …
Climate Adaptation And The Fifth Amendment To The United States Constitution: How Do Adaptation Strategies Impact Regulatory Takings Claims?, Chad J. Mcguire
Climate Adaptation And The Fifth Amendment To The United States Constitution: How Do Adaptation Strategies Impact Regulatory Takings Claims?, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
As the impacts and potential of climate change are realized at the governance level, states are moving towards adaptation strategies that include greater regulatory restrictions on development within coastal zones. The purpose of this paper is to outline the impacts of existing and planned regulatory mechanisms on the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prevents the government taking of private property for public use without just compensation. A short history of regulatory takings is explained, and the potential legal issues surrounding mitigation and adaptation measures for coastal communities are discussed. The goal is to gain an understanding of …
A Case Study Of Carbon Sequestration Potential Of Land Use Policies Favoring Re-Growth And Long-Term Protection Of Temperate Forests, Chad J. Mcguire
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 …
Ecosystem-Based Management Of Terrestrial And Coastal Water Resources: Can Rapanos Teach Us Anything About The Future Of Integrated Water Management, Chad J. Mcguire
Ecosystem-Based Management Of Terrestrial And Coastal Water Resources: Can Rapanos Teach Us Anything About The Future Of Integrated Water Management, Chad J. Mcguire
Chad J McGuire
The purpose of this article is to describe aspects of the Rapanos decision, focusing on the Kennedy concurrence, and then suggesting its connection to the ongoing policy debate regarding coastal resource management, and how it may offer a sign of the judicial will to accept an expanding federal role over centralized water management, regardless of spatial location.