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Environmental Equity and the Role of Public Policy: Experiences in the Rijnmond Region

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Abstract

This Φ Ψ study of environmental equity uses secondary quantitative data to analyze socioeconomic disparities in environmental conditions in the Rijnmond region of the Netherlands. The disparities of selected environmental indicators—exposure to traffic noise (road, rail, and air), NO2, external safety risks, and the availability of public green space—are analyzed both separately and in combination. Not only exposures to environmental burdens (“bads”) were investigated, but also access to environmental benefits (“goods”). Additionally, we held interviews and reviewed documents to grasp the mechanisms underlying the environmental equity situation, with an emphasis on the role of public policy. Environmental equity is not a priority in public policy for the greater Rotterdam region known as the Rijnmond region, yet environmental standards have been established to provide a minimum environmental quality to all local residents. In general, environmental quality has improved in this region, and the accumulation of negative environmental outcomes (“bads”) has been limited. However, environmental standards for road traffic noise and NO2 are being exceeded, probably because of the pressure on space and the traffic intensity. We found an association of environmental “bads” with income for rail traffic noise and availability of public green space. In the absence of regulation, positive environmental outcomes (“goods”) are mainly left up to market forces. Consequently, higher-income groups generally have more access to environmental “goods” than lower-income groups.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the OECD for allowing us to join their Workshop on the Distribution of Benefits and Costs of Environmental Policies (4–5 March 2003, Paris) and our colleagues Arno Bouwman and Rebecca Stellato for their contributions to this project. This project has been supported by Utrecht University, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environmental Health Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1, 3720, BA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    Hanneke Kruize

  2. Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508, TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Peter P. J. Driessen & Pieter Glasbergen

  3. Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, P.O. Box 1, 3720, BA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    Klaas (N. D.) van Egmond

Authors
  1. Hanneke Kruize
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  2. Peter P. J. Driessen
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  3. Pieter Glasbergen
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  4. Klaas (N. D.) van Egmond
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Correspondence to Hanneke Kruize.

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Kruize, H., Driessen, P.P.J., Glasbergen, P. et al. Environmental Equity and the Role of Public Policy: Experiences in the Rijnmond Region. Environmental Management 40, 578–595 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-005-0378-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-005-0378-9

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