Paying for pollution:
who should be on the hook for environmental harm

Our lives invariably cause a level of pollution: we drive, we use chemicals to clean our clothes and our homes, we use a seemingly never ending stream of plastics in our workplaces and homes. Who pays for the pollution that results? The resource extractor, the manufacturer, the retailer, the consumer? Should creditors pay for pollution caused by their borrowers? Should governments pay for pollution that they regulate when it results in harm to the environment of its citizens?

Our laws (both common law and codified) deal with the issue of who pays for restoring environmental harms to varying degrees.

Read more on the ELC blog.

ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTRE:

The Environmental Law Centre (ELC) has been seeking strong and effective environmental laws since it was founded in 1982. The ELC is dedicated to providing credible, comprehensive and objective legal information regarding natural resources, energy and environmental law, policy and regulation in Alberta. The ELC’s mission is to educate and champion for strong laws and rights so all Albertans can enjoy clean water, clean air and a healthy environment. Our vision is a society where laws secure an environment that sustains current and future generations.

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