[greenyes] Corporations, private markets, environmental protection

["Doug Koplow" <koplow@no.address>]

A month or so back there was a long discussion on this list about the inherent limitations of corporations.  My position was that the organizational structure (i.e., private versus public) is but one factor in ensuring a balanced system of checks and balances in any policy effort to protect the environment.

Over the past couple of years, I've been working with UNEP on a guidance manual for policy makers to help them more effectively apply market-based economic instruments to environmental protection.  The report, released last week, tries to provide an intuitive understanding of why policy instruments that rely on private market forces work and in what circumstances they can be applied successfully.  The report also develops a number of templates to help people organize disparate information on the environmental challenges they face in a way that helps clarify and winnow the most attractive policy options.  Case studies from around the world (both successful and unsuccessful) help to highlight key points.

The report is available in full on the web at:

http://www.earthtrack.net/documents.asp?docUrl=http://www.unep.ch/etu/publications/EconInst/red_book260304.pdf 

-Doug Koplow

_______________________________
Doug Koplow
Earth Track, Inc.
2067 Massachusetts Avenue - 4th Floor
Cambridge, MA  02140
www.earthtrack.net
Tel:  617/661-4700
Fax: 617/354-0463