Environmental Law Principles - Polluter Pays

"The ‘polluter pays principle’ (PPP) states that whoever is responsible for damage to the environment should bear the costs associated with it."

"If anyone intentionally spoils the water of another ... let him not only pay damages, but purify the stream or cistern which contains the water..." - Plato

PPP has become a popular catchphrase in recent times. "If you make a mess, it's your duty to clean it up"- this is the main basis of this slogan. It should be mentioned that in environmental law, the PPP does not refer to "fault." Instead, it favors a curative approach which is concerned with repairing ecological damage.

Few people could disagree with what seems at first glance to be such a straightforward proposition. Indeed, properly construed, this is not only a sound principle for dealing with those who pollute but is an extension of one of the most basic principles of fairness and justice: people should be held responsible for their actions. Those who cause damage or harm to other people should "pay" for that damage. This appeal to our sense of justice is why the PPP has come to resonate so strongly with both policy makers and the public. The PPP is an economic rule of cost allocation. The source of the principle is in the economic theory of externalities.

This is a briefer about the polluter pays principle.