Functioning of the National Economy and Protection of the Natural Environment

Problems of the natural environment protection have been recently in the focus of attention of the Polish public opinion in the effect of a quickly progressing degradation of the natural resources. In the well-developed countries it happened at least a quarter of century ago. That time lag was resulting from the fact that only-in the seventies Poland entered the road of changes facilitating a wider utilization of the modern scientific and technological revolution which in turn unprecedently devastated the natural resources in course of the productional processes. Another reason of that destruction was of a doctrinal nature, it was widely believed that in a socialist system the processes of devastation can be altogether eliminated on account of the central planning based on a macroeconomic calculation. The central planning and the macroeconomic calculation do not however secure a rational utilization of the natural resources only by themselves. On the one hand, there is no possibility of accounting for the depreciation of these resources in the cost calculus in the effect of non-availability of their economic appraisal in economic practice. On the other hand no goals of the activity can be determined as there is no data collected on the environmental needs of a population. The present socio-economic crisis created conditions for the new system of functioning of the national economy widely employing market mechanisms. In spite of many profits which can be brought about by the new system, one has to reckon with the strong stimuli, for independent economic units, not to cover costs for their utilization of the natural resources and regeneration of the, degraded environment. The burdens of its protection have to be taken over by the State in such condition of affaires. But instead the actions of the State should aim at such conditioning of a market that socially irrational utilization of the natural resources does not pay. That purpose can be effected by means of imposing taxes and charges on the units impairing the environment, to collect funds toward its reconstruction. The State services of the environment protection as well as their control and enforcement functions have to be widely expanded in order to ensure the effective actions in that sphere. But the intensification of the scientific research seems to be a matter of the highest importance — it has to follow two directions; defining the soundness of environmental standards and appraising economically the natural resources and their role in the social processes in economy.Digitalizacja i deponowanie archiwalnych zeszytów RPEiS sfinansowane przez MNiSW w ramach realizacji umowy nr 541/P-DUN/201