Nation - Environmental Understanding is Crucial Governments at all levels can develop policies, programs and procedures for protecting the environment. Yet the success of these policies ultimately depends on the daily choices of our citizens. Beginning with the nation's youth, people need to understand their relationship with the environment. They need to understand the importance of sustaining and enhancing their surroundings for themselves and future generations. If we are able to achieve a healthy environment, it will be because citizens understand that a healthy environment is critical to the social and economic health of the nation.
Government has a role in educating people about stewardship of natural resources.
One important way for government to promote individual responsibility is by rewarding those who meet their stewardship responsibilities. The implementation of environmental policies and programs should be guided by an assessment of the costs and benefits of different options across the affected geographic range. These assessments can illustrate the relative advantages of various methods of achieving common public goals. However, not all benefits and costs can be easily quantified or translated into dollars. There may be other non-economic factors such as equity within and across generations that should also be fully considered and integrated into every assessment of options.