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'''Incentives''' for sustainable action take several forms: | '''Incentives''' for sustainable action take several forms: | ||
{| | {|border="1" | ||
!Incentive!!Advantages!!Disadvantages | !Incentive!!Advantages!!Disadvantages | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Personal satisfaction or sense of responsibility|| ||Only a small minority will take serious action. (Many us are well-intentioned but don't get far beyond good intentions.) | |Personal satisfaction or sense of responsibility|| ||Only a small minority will take serious action. (Many us are well-intentioned but don't get far beyond good intentions.) | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Social pressure/conformity | |Social pressure/conformity||No cost|| | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Regulation|| ||Possibility of corruption? Depends on an authority to make decisions - likely to be less creative than a more open approach. | |Regulation|| ||Possibility of corruption? Depends on an authority to make decisions - likely to be less creative than a more open approach. | ||
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|Markets (e.g. carbon trading)||Potential disadvantage: If allocations are given to existing emitters, that effectively rewards polluters.||Strong motivation of personal gain; efficient allocation of resources. | |Markets (e.g. carbon trading)||Potential disadvantage: If allocations are given to existing emitters, that effectively rewards polluters.||Strong motivation of personal gain; efficient allocation of resources. | ||
|} | |} | ||
Note that increased awarness and access to information can help people to make better choices - these are not incentives in themselves, but can make the incentives more effective. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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[[Category:Sustainability]] | [[Category:Sustainability]] | ||
[[Category:Issues]] | |||
Revision as of 13:34, 11 November 2006
Incentives for sustainable action take several forms:
| Incentive | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Personal satisfaction or sense of responsibility | Only a small minority will take serious action. (Many us are well-intentioned but don't get far beyond good intentions.) | |
| Social pressure/conformity | No cost | |
| Regulation | Possibility of corruption? Depends on an authority to make decisions - likely to be less creative than a more open approach. | |
| Taxes | Revenue | Difficulty and controversy involved in setting level of taxes; difficult for authority to raise taxes to the appropriate level due to political and electoral pressure. |
| Markets (e.g. carbon trading) | Potential disadvantage: If allocations are given to existing emitters, that effectively rewards polluters. | Strong motivation of personal gain; efficient allocation of resources. |
Note that increased awarness and access to information can help people to make better choices - these are not incentives in themselves, but can make the incentives more effective.