Introduction
Government involvement in environmental affairs can be costly, but some believe that the cost is worth the potential benefits. In today’s blog we will explore the different costs and potential benefits of environmental regulation in general so that you can form your own opinion!
Potential Costs
Costs and benefits associated with government environmental regulations are hard to measure especially before the specific environmental regulation is implemented. One reason for this is because many environmental regulations are implemented knowing that we may not see the benefits for a long period of time. This makes it hard to analyze all of the costs that will be involved and all of the benefit we may realistically receive. Another reason for this is because laws and our federal budget are constantly being changed. Due to this constant change, it is hard to quantify and project how much we are going to spend on environmental projects and regulations. Additionally… sources and studies throughout the internet are incredibly inconsistent regarding the costs and benefits of environmental regulations which make it hard to estimate the true exact costs and benefits. With that being said, it is definitely fair to say that we spend some billions of dollars each year creating, implementing, and enforcing these regulations.
Companies spend extreme amounts of money in order to comply with US environmental regulations. According to various sources, companies spend over $200 billion per year to comply with these regulations. At first glance, one may think that comes out of that company’s profit and has no effect on the consumer, but generally speaking companies pass costs onto consumers by raising prices. So, in reality it is safe to assume that we likely are the ones who are eating most of these costs.
Environmental enforcement agencies alone take $50 billion+ from our federal budget each year. This money could be used to help people who need healthcare, food, etc. but instead it goes towards protecting the environment, which raises the question of is it worth it?
Potential Benefits
Although it is clear that environmental regulations can be costly, keeping our environment sustainably safe is incredibly important to our future on planet earth. This healthy environment can help to keep the people who live in the country healthy and could even contribute to these people living longer.
Additionally, these environmental regulations make our quality of life much better. Many sources show that countries with less environmental regulations tend to have worse air quality. Air pollution can have severe negative health effects on humans, especially if there is exposure over long periods of time. This is just one of the many benefits that environmental regulations bring.
Conclusion
It is clear that environmental regulations have many different costs and benefits. So, what do you think… are they worth it? These costs and the benefits are constantly changing, so be sure to continuously do your research so that you can be sure you have the most up to date information regarding what is going on with these complex regulations! Explore the source below to learn more about these environmental regulations and how intricate they are.
The benefits and costs of US environmental laws (article) | Khan Academy
