Environmental Policy in North America Approaches, Capacity, and the Management of Transboundary Issues

About this book

This comprehensive analysis of key issues affecting North American environmental policy provides an overview of how the United States, Mexico, and Canada differ in their environmental management approaches and capacity levels. It also explores how these differences play into cross-border cooperation on environmental problems, both before and after NAFTA, and presents a framework for making environmental interaction more effective in the future.

The authors compare the unique national contexts for environmental management in each country – including economic conditions, socio-cultural dynamics, and political decision-making frameworks. They provide four unique case studies to illustrate their arguments: protected areas and biodiversity; air pollution (smog); climate change; and genetically modified crops.

Contents

Part I: Comparing Approaches, Capacity, and Institutions
1. Introduction: Maps of the Continent
2. Environmental Management and Approaches
3. Transboundary Environmental Governance in North America: Plugging the Gaps?

Part II: Case Studies
4. Biodiversity and Protected Areas
5. The "Smog" Problem
6. Greenhouse Gas Reduction
7. Genetically Modified Crops
8. Conclusions: The Future of Environmental Management in North America

Works Cited
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Robert G. Healy is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Policy at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Debora VanNijnatten is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University.