User:Mike Wadas/Punctuated Equilibrium in Environmental Policy

Punctuated Equilibrium in Environmental Policy

Subheading: Environmental Policy and Oil Tanker Traffic in Alaskan Waters

Environmental policy has been found to follow punctuated changes. Despite growing research on the damaging impact of climate change, society and government have been slow to shift to keep pace with research, keeping policy largely stable until there is a crisis. Take for example the issue of oil tanker traffic in Alaskan waters.

In his 2013 book, Busenberg takes a deep look at the development of policies against marine oil pollution in Alaska following the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989, in which oil leaked from a tanker ran aground and polluted Alaskan waters. Prior to the oil spill, there was a period of equilibrium in the management of the marine oil trade from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act in 1973 up until the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. Despite attempts at reform by activists during that period of policy stability, it was not until a dramatic increase in political and media attention calling for stronger safeguards against marine oil pollution following the massive oil spill in 1989 that there was real policy change. The Exxon Valdez oil spill punctuation led to an intense period of environmental management reform to reduce the risk of oil pollution. This had a lasting impact on environmental protection policy with national and international impact, under which a new stasis was entered.