Environmental policymaking has a long history, even if ‘the environment’ has been framed as a category for public and political concern only in more recent times. A policy history, as John Haldon argues in his long view, "should be about how and why the decisions made by those with power to decide, and the way in which they made their decisions, changed through time". The processes involved, and their intended and unintended consequences, are fascinating in their own right. Importantly, however, they can also offer insights for policy- and decision-makers today. With hindsight, it is possible to see more clearly what has endured and what has changed, and to understand better how progressive environmental policies have emerged and evolved.

The five essays in this publication offer a wide range of perspectives on these issues, including the essay by John Haldon, "From past to present: comments on history and policy."

John Haldon is emeritus Shelby Cullom Davis '30 Professor of European History and Professor of Byzantine History and Hellenic Studies at Princeton University.