National guideline for the discharge of effluent from land. And since government is desirous to utilise a package of measures in an effort to. Discharging waste into water resources an application of the polluter pays principle. The polluter pays principle requires either government intervention or the presence of clearly defined property rights. For other goods, it is harder to define property rights. This article and call for comments from the department of water affairs and forestry, south africa is a further step in the implementation of the new water law reforms in the country. Environmental law principles of environmental law britannica. The oecd recommended the ppp as the guiding principle concerning the international economic aspects of environmental policies in 1972. In south africa, the principle is being applied through the white paper on environmental management policy for south africa and through the principles embodied in the national environmental management act. Jul 02, 2012 the polluters pays principle is the commonly accepted practice that those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the environment. Since the early 1970s the polluter pays principle has been a dominant concept in environmental law. Global climate change and the polluter pays principle. Department of water and sanitation on the polluter pays.
Polluter pays as environmental management principle the. It is acceptable if pollution externalities are multilateral among. But, is it inherently unfair to require a polluter to remedy the aftermath of their actions even if, at the time that they. The polluter pays principle, as interpreted by the supreme court of india, means that the absolute liability for harm to the environment extends not only to compensate the victims of pollution but also the cost of restoring the environmental degradation. The polluterpays principle might not be acceptable. The water pollution in south africa has affected water quality and impacted negatively on public health and functioning of ecosystems including the rising cost of water treatment. If someone has access to a river, they can sue a chemical firm if they create a cost of pollution.
The polluter pays principle states that whoever is responsible for damage to the environment should bear the costs associated with it. An interesting case study on the polluter pays principle can be found at. A variety of principles are used in environmental management. It should be mentioned that in environmental law, the polluter pays principle does not refer to fault.
If you make a mess, its your duty to clean it up this is the main basis of this slogan. The way in which sanitation services are provided must take into account the growing scarcity of good quality water in south africa. Development of the principle the organisation for economic cooperation and development oecd receives credit for the. With the imminent implementation date, taxpayers need to take steps now to ensure compliance with a tax, which although simple in structure, is complex in application. This work traces the history of the polluter pays principle the ppp in the early economic literature from 1920s.
The polluter pays principle and costbenefit analysis of. In the light of the precautionary principle, environmental legislation may also provide for measures which are taken to. Certain information has also been taken from environmental laws of south africa by p. It was an important cornerstone of environmental law and was generally accepted as an economic principle aimed at consumer protection. By upholding the polluter pays principle, they ensure that society does not. This is a concept that was probably first described by thomas lindhqvist for the swedish government in 1990. The polluter pays principle and costbenefit analysis of climate change. Polluter pays principle the polluter pay s principle ppp is one of the internationally recognized principles that influence the environmental legislation, management and economics in. Polluterpays principle and the regulation of environmental. Polluter pays principle an overview sciencedirect topics.
Tol, research unit sustainability and global change, hamburg university and. In ghana, the polluter pays principle was adopted in 2011. It is a very broad concept and is generally understood. Major challenges recognizing the internationally acclaimed efficiency of the polluter pays principle ppp in achieving environmental protection and improvement, nigeria adopted it as one of its principles in achieving environmental protection. Those countries that have driven global climate change should be bound by the notion of polluter pays. The report suggests that the primary sources of water pollution are untreated or partially treated effluents from municipal, industrial and mining wastewater discharges. The polluter pays principle ppp was a way of requiring the producers of pollution to pay for the costs of avoiding pollution and cleaning up or remedying its effects.
The rise and fall of the polluterpays principle in. Polluter pays principle and the regulation of environmental pollution in nigeria. The polluter paysprinciple polluters must pay the cost of cleaning up the impact of their pollution on the environment. Water pollution in south africa and its public health impact. It is our contention, from south africa, that the polluter pays principle should apply in this case, as, ideally, should the issue of internalisation of externalities. With south africas commitment to tackling climate change, the tax engenders the polluterpays principle. Polluter pays principle ground rules related to management institutions and administrative responsibilities 6 the discharge of landbased effluent to the coastal environment is currently governed by the dea under the icma, however, the dea will work in consultation with relevant. History and evolution of the polluter pays principle. They help guide and shape the way people interact with the environment as nations develop.
Costanza and cornwall 1992 propose combining the precautionary principle with the polluter pays principle to develop an environmental depositrefund or assurance bonding system. The polluter pays principle is also known as extended producer responsibility epr. In this context the application of the polluter pays principle has not discouraged polluters from polluting. What does polluter pays mean in south africa 15 september 2008. Polluter pays principle has become a popular catchphrase in recent times. Department of water affairs and forestry, south africa. Sanitation services must be financially sustainable. For example, factories that emit unfiltered exhaust into the atmosphere or discharge untreated chemicals into a. Oecd ilibrary is the online library of the organisation for economic cooperation and development oecd featuring its books, papers and statistics and is the gateway to oecds analysis and data. Candice stevens, interpreting the polluter pays principle in the trade and environment context 27 cornell intl l. Many economists claim that much environmental harm is caused by producers who externalize the costs of their activities. The constitution says that everyone has the right to a safe and healthy environment. The polluter pays principle ppp calls for anyone who disturbs or spoils the environment in.
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