Environmental Policy - History

History

The 1970s marked the beginning of modern environmental policy making. On January 1, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). At the time, Environmental Policy was a bipartisan issue and the efforts of the United States of America helped spark countries around the world to create environmental policies. During this period, legislation was passed to regulate pollutants that go into the air, water tables, and solid waste disposal. President Nixon signed the Clean Air Act in 1970 which set the United States of America as one of the world leaders in environmental conservation.

In the European Union, the very first Environmental Action Programme was adopted by national government representatives in July 1973 during the first meeting of the Council of Environmental Ministers. Since then an increasingly dense network of legislation has developed, which now extends to all areas of environmental protection including air pollution control, water protection and waste policy but also nature conservation and the control of chemicals, biotechnology and other industrial risks. EU environmental policy has thus become a core area of European politics.

Overall organisations are becoming more aware of their environmental risks and performance requirements. In line with the ISO 14001 standard they are developing environmental policies suitable for their organisation. This statement outlines environmental performance of the organisation as well as its environmental objectives. Written by top management of the organisation they document a commitment to continuous improvement and complying with legal and other requirements, such as the environmental policy objectives set by their governments.