Environmental Studies Essay

The programme and promotion of global environmental concern and sustainability.

Cotswold Canal Regeneration Portfolio

The regeneration project can be considered an example of environmentalmicro-management. In the same way that it is possible to cause a change bytackling a major issue across a system, it is also possible to cause a changeby tackling a number of minor issues.

The disadvantage of tackling major issues is their inertia, whichrequires more resources and more time to achieve an effect. The disadvantage oftackling minor issues is that their individual impact is more difficult to beassessed within a global frame.

In the case of environmental sustainability, however, there is anadvantage in solving a problem close to the public. As long as the publicrealises the benefits of sustainability/restoration policies, small scaleenvironmental restoration projects may win over the public to support moreradical policies (on manufacturing, emissions, etc). This is important due tothe conflics between conservation, technology and economics in policy making(Portney, 1992)

Particular aspects of the environmental background of the Cotswold canals.

In the specific case of thisproject, there are a number of considerations concerning the environmentalbenefit of the canal restoration project. It is true that a more or lessrunning course of water (the open canal) is preferred to a more or lessstagnant water body (the derelict canal). Stagnant waters may not only lookunattractive, but in hot seasons may become a source of disease and discomfort.

The Cotswold canals had beenabandoned completely from 1941, although some sections had been abandoned in1927 and the last cargo boat passed its summit in 1911. The canal had beenbuilt in successive stages, starting in 1757. The climatic point was theopening of the summit of the canal in 1786. Connection from the Severn to theThames rivers was achieved in 1789. Because of a series of design flaws in thelocks, and...