Environmental Decision Making

Abstract

Climatic change, the hole in the ozone layer, large-scale forest degradation in Europe, rapid destruction of rainforests, pollution of groundwater and major accidents such as the Sandoz and Chernobyl disasters in 1986 suggest that environmental problems are more serious than ever. In the last twenty years the spatial scale of environmental problems has extended from local to global, and the time needed to prevent further damage and to restore the damage done has increased dramatically. Direct impacts on economic functions of the environment, such as agriculture, have become of major importance. In short, serious damage is being done to the carrying capacity of the environment (Ministerie VROM¹ 1989a).