Essay

Evaluating Pollution Control Policies

A government aims to reduce total pollution in a river from 200 units to 100 units. Two firms, 'CleanStream Inc.' and 'RiverRun Corp.', are the only polluters, each currently emitting 100 units. The cost for CleanStream to reduce one unit of pollution is $10, while the cost for RiverRun to reduce one unit is $30.

Evaluate the following two policies in terms of their total cost to achieve the 100-unit reduction goal:

Policy 1: A regulation requiring each firm to reduce its pollution by 50 units. Policy 2: A system where the government issues 50 tradable pollution permits to each firm (where one permit allows one unit of pollution), and firms can freely buy or sell these permits.

In your evaluation, determine which policy is more cost-effective and justify your conclusion by explaining the likely actions of each firm under both scenarios.

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Updated 2025-09-20

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