Perspectives for economic research into sustainable policies

Abstract

Sustainability is a highly controversial concept when it comes to policy recommendations. While widespread agreement is possible on the necessity of the sustainable utilisation of environmental resources, there is no consensus on what a sustainable policy actually is. Although any environmental policy issue could illustrate this point, a look back at the general discussion of the possibility of sustainable policies once started by an article of Ludwig et al. (1993) in Science and taken up in a special issue of Ecological Applications will best illuminate the difficulties. It reveals that researchers are rather ambiguous over whether the concept of sustainability yields policy recommendations or not. With respect to resource management, Ludwig et al. (1993) hold that uncertainty is the crucial issue to be addressed and that it necessarily leads to overexploitation. The reason why Ludwig et al. are so frustrated by natural resource management is exemplified by the California sardine and the Peruvian anchoveta (see Ludwig et al. 1993: 17). The California sardine was overexploited despite warnings from the California Division of Fish and Game. The fishing industry countered these warnings with scientific statements which claimed that a pelagic species¹ could not possibly be overexploited. There is as yet no consensus. The Peruvian anchoveta became a major source of fish meal for cattle feed once the Pacific sardine collapsed. The yields decreased rapidly from 10 million metric tons to zero within just a few years. General agreement on the causes of collapse has not been reached.