Preventive environmental policy: Concept and data requirements

In this paper an introduction is given into the concept of preventive, anticipatory- environmental policy and its data requirements. Environmental policy is still very much ex-post oriented treatment and not prevention of environmental damage is of primary concern. Therefore, the general principles of environmental reporting oriented toward prevention of environmental damage are discussed and examples presented which incorporate the prevention aspect of environmental policy. The paper concludes with a look at the deficiencies of environmental reporting in the Federal Republic of Germany, and a presentation of arguments for and against prevention-oriented environmental reporting.