Regulating the International Environment: A Conceptual Model and Policy Implications for Water-Related Issues

Abstract

"The present scale of production and consumption is likely to generate adverse externalities (pollution). The dangers posed by pollution infringe on the welfare of countries, depending on the type of environmental problem they face. While research is under way which links environmental degradation to the onset of civil and international war, this article focuses on the non-military instruments which governments can use to improve the state of their environment. After briefly reviewing the literature on the relationship between environmental degradation and the onset of civil and international conflict, the basic model of environmental regulation is a closed economy will be developed; these assumptions will be relaxed step-by-step by introducing transboundary pollution, international trade, and global environmental problems. Furthermore, a brief sketch is provided how to turn the static treatment into a simple dynamic perspective on defining and achieving environmental security, followed by an application of the conceptual model to water-related problems. In the penultimate Section, some suggestions for further refinement of the concept presented here are made before turning to a summary of the conclusions."