Question

What is people pays principle in pollution management

Answer 1

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. For instance, a factory that produces a potentially poisonous substance as a byproduct of its activities is usually held responsible for its safe disposal.

This principle underpins most of the regulation of pollution affecting land, water and air. Pollution is defined in UK law as contamination of the land, water or air by harmful or potentially harmful substances.

Part of a set of broader principles to guide sustainable development worldwide (formally known as the 1992 Rio Declaration), the polluter pays principle has also been applied more specifically to emissions of greenhouse gases which cause climate change.

Many economists argue a carbon price should be global and uniform across countries and sectors so that polluters do not simply move operations to so-called 'pollution havens' – countries where a lack of environmental regulation allows them to continue to pollute without restrictions