Question

To what extent does government regulation and new laws solve the problem of pollution? Discuss one example each of the success and failure of legislation to change the quality of:-
(a) Public Life (b) Private Life

Answer 1

Hint: Each new law and regulations to solve certain problems are meant to solve that certain problem but many times these laws and regulations lack enforcement and awareness to solve issues which leads to failure of legislation to change the quality of public and private life but sometime these regulations and laws helps in improving public and private life and becomes success of legislation.

Complete answer:
In controlling the levels of pollution in a town, government laws play an important role. Simply passing rules, however, is not enough. They need to be enforced correctly as well. It is also a fact that individuals prefer to find ways to get around regulations. Therefore, the government must also carry out intensive public awareness campaigns, apart from legislation, aimed at informing the public about the need and ways to control pollution; and how they also have a stake in environmental governance.
Example to show success of laws and regulations :-
Public life :- The Bengal Smoke Nuisance Commission was successful in regulating industrial smoke in colonial Calcutta, constituted as per the Bengal Smoke Nuisance Act of 1905.
Private life :- In 1956, the British government passed the Clean Air Act. This legislation was designed to regulate domestic sources of smoke emissions and implemented the notion of smokeless zones in order to do so. Smokeless fuel had to be burned in these areas. As a result, air pollution has decreased significantly in British cities.
Example to show failures of law and regulations:-
Public life :- British cities such as Derby, Leeds and Manchester had regulations on smoke control in effect by the 1840s. However, these laws have not been very effective in regulating the emission of smoke. It was easy for factory and steam engine owners to get away with minor modifications to their machinery because smoke is not simple to control or calculate, and this did little to stop smoke.
Private life :- A large population relied on dung and wood as fuel in their everyday lives during the colonial period. This has been an important cause of Calcutta's air pollution. The Bengal Smoke Nuisance Commission found it difficult to regulate this domestic smoke, despite being effective in regulating industrial smoke.

Note: The major environmental regulations include the following:-
Water Act 1974 (Water Act).
Air (Pollution prevention and control) Act 1981 (Air Act).
Act on Environment (Protection) 1986 (EP Act).