Environmental contract
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

An environmental
contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...
is a way of expressing the
rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory ...
and responsibilities of citizens,
businesses Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separ ...
and the
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
when it comes to the environment. It is not known who invented the term. The British politician David Miliband used it when he was appointed
Secretary of State for the Environment The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment (DoE). This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of T ...
in May 2006, both in his blog, and in an article on the BBC News website. He initiated the launch of a wiki, to form an environmental contract. However, the site was edited heavily by Government officials, rendering pointless the exercise to interact with the public. The term can be seen as an invitation to invite parallels with the idea of a social contract between workers, employers and the state which underpinned the foundation of the
welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...
. Some have argued that, just as the social contract was a way of addressing social dislocation, so the environmental contract can be a way of addressing the environmental impacts which pose a threat to people and the planet in the 21st century.


Environmental citizenship

Environmental citizenship (EC) is defined as the responsible pro-environmental behavior of citizens who act and participate in society as agents of change in the private and public sphere, on a local, national and global scale, through individual and collective actions, in the direction of solving contemporary environmental problems, preventing the creation of new environmental problems, achieving sustainability as well as developing a healthy relationship with nature. Environmental citizenship includes the exercise of environmental rights and duties, as well as the identification of the underlying structural causes of environmental degradation and environmental problems, the development of the willingness and the competences for critical and active engagement and civic participation to address those structural causes, acting individually and collectively within democratic means, and taking into account inter- and intra-generational justice. Environmental citizenship is a key factor in EU's growth strategy (
Europe 2020 Europe 2020 is a 10-year strategy proposed by the European Commission on 3 March 2010 for advancement of the economy of the European Union. It aims at a " smart, sustainable, inclusive growth" with greater coordination of national and European po ...
) and its vision for Sustainable Development, Green and Cycle economy and Low-carbon society (EU-roadmap 2050). Because of its emphasis on rights and responsibilities, there are clear links between the environmental contract and notions of environmental citizenship. EC may shed light on the research of environmental contract into the way publics are built in everyday settings, if it is built firmly around the notions of justice, knowledge and language.


Criticism


Sustainability justifiable in its own right

The idea can seem to boil down to a sort of 'I will if You will' type of idea. But action for sustainability, such as having regard for the needs of future generations (including addressing environmental impacts) is arguably justifiable in its own right. Similarly, if there is the view that action on
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
, for example, is urgent and imperative, then an 'I will, irrespective of what you do' approach might be argued as more responsible.


Further criticism

Some of the criticism of the idea of social contract would also seem to apply here.


See also

*
Environmental politics Environmental politics designate both the politics about the environment (see also environmental policy) and an academic field of study focused on three core components:Carter, Neil. 2007. ''The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Polic ...


References

{{sustainability Environmentalism Environmental issues in the United Kingdom