what is the impact of the operatins of the market economy in europe on the environment?

Question

what possible solutions might there be to some of these problems

Answer 1

It's not about the "market economy" versus any other kind of economy. Some of the worst environmental mess was created in the former Communist countries.

Basically, old style industrial development (factories and workshops) creates polllution from smoke, soot and chemical waste. Agriculture causes damage thrugh use of pesticides and agrochemicals such as artificial fertiliser (e.g. acid rain, chemicals in the water run-off). Service industries the main problem is waste e.g. paper. Consumer economy creates waste (packaging, paper, food discards, junk mail etc) and pollution from cars, planes, buses -- nowadays the main source of smog in cities rather than factory smoke.

Solutions include things like carbon taxes, smokeless zone laws, electric cars, solar powered heating, air conditioning, and lighting, tidal power for electricity, more use of videoconferencing and the phone and internet generally (to cut travel requirements), heavily subidising taxis in cities so people don't have to use their own cars in ones and twos creating congestion, the London congestion charge, organic farming (and altering the common agricultural policy to encourage it), the set-aside policy (which could also be adapted to be more pro-wildlife), petrol tax, etc, etc.