The foundations of environmental decision-making

An account of judgement is developed, which is used to show that deliberative procedures can provide a substantially different input to environmental decision-making from that afforded by coat-benefit analysis and, specifically, by the method of contingent valuation. It is argued that environmental concern typically invokes values, which are in turn formed and expressed through the exercise of judgement - itself the outcome of a deliberative rather than a calculative process. It is concluded that environmental concern is more effectively articulated through deliberative procedures than through the method of cost-benefit analysis.