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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Environmental economics
Businesses are nowadays expected to act sustainably; it is also in both society s and the company s own interest if opportunities to develop more sustainable products or services can be fully grasped. Leading international companies may already be moving in this direction, but many (especially smaller companies) are often held back by a lack of personnel or know how. This book has been written to overcome this deficit by providing a convenient one-stop-shop where readers (whether they be business staff, university or business school students) can understand personally what the sustainability issue is about, and appreciate the many areas where companies can respond to the challenge of a more sustainable world. Based on a successful Green Management of Technology Masters introduced in Japan in 2008, this book explains in non-specialist language why current economic systems under which firms operate do not lead to sustainable outcomes, provides the background to the evolution of concerns over sustainability, and also provides sufficient understanding of key environmental and social issues to support informed debate, encouraging readers to consider working for a more sustainable organisation and society. Focusing on the implications of sustainability for business, the book provides an overview of both the internal business issues raised by concerns over sustainability, and the many external opportunities which exist for innovation and development of new products and services which can contribute to both company viability and a sustainable future for society. It can either be used as a basis for self-study and learning, or as a textbook to support a course in an MBA, MOT or similar business-oriented course. It includes educational feedback from the course students (mostly working in local businesses), which may encourage readers to explore the interactions between sustainability and business, and help teachers planning and implementing similar courses. It also blends together case studies from both UK and Japan providing a genuinely trans-national perspective.
This book addresses current practices related to sustainable development, its challenges and the future. People belonging to different genders regardless of their age, social class and education should be equal as citizens and individuals, and identical in their rights and responsibilities. The business sector, authorities, societies and religious circles have the potential to play a fundamental role in curbing social ills and the degradation of the environment in this modern world. The authors of this book argue that without good governance, the status of a human being is unlikely to improve. They make the case that to achieve sustainability, government, society and the economy must ensure a platform for people to participate in decision-making and benefit from the rights they are accorded. By covering a range of perspectives across economic, social and moral life, the book will shed light on the problems and possible solutions to sustainable development and the triple bottom line, of people, planet and profit, under the umbrella of morals and divine law. This will be a useful guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students across multiple disciplines, such as economics, religious studies, business studies, political science, anthropology and sociology.
The book is a concise introduction to an emerging field within economics. Drawing on numerous disciplines, including environmental science, environmental and ecological economics and optimal growth theory, sustainability remains a hazy and complex subject. The author set out with two objectives: one, to bring some order into the proliferating measures, models and management of sustainability; and two, to facilitate access to a complex inter-disciplinary subject area. The book points to practical ways of assessing and enhancing the long-term environmental and economic sustainability of our economies. The result is a fully international study that should bridge the gap between disciplines and prove to be an essential guide to anyone interested in one of the most important concepts in the social sciences.
In this book Professors Pablo Mart nez de Anguita and John E. Wagner put two disciplines together, regional and ecological economics, presenting a way to understand ecological economic concerns from a regional perspective, and providing a mathematical tool to measure their interrelationships. This book offers different regional economic models that explicitly include the role of the natural resources and pollutants in economic regions through the use of Social Accounting Matrixes and Input-output models. The main objective of this book is to explore Input-output and Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) models by expanding the accounts to include natural resources and the environment. The proposed models in this book incorporate the forest and other natural resources and pollutants as a component in a larger model of how the economy and environment of larger areas interact. This book will be of interests to postgraduates, researchers and scientists in the fields of regional, resource, environmental, or ecological economics.
To understand China s climate change policy is not easy, as the country itself is a paradox actor in global climate political economy: it used to take very suspicious stand on the scientific certainty of climate change, but recently it has become a signatory and firm supporter of the Kyoto Protocol; it stubbornly refuses to accept any emission cutting obligations, but has gradually taken the lead in developing renewable energies and carbon trading business; it accuses western countries of their hypocrisy and irresponsibility, but ironically maintains close cooperation with them on low-carbon projects; it fears climate mitigation commitments may hamper the economic growth, but meanwhile spends most lavishly on the research and development of clean energy and other green technologies. This book, unlike other researches which explain China s climate policy from pure economics or politics/foreign policy perspectives, provides a panoramic view over China s climate-related regulations, laws and policies as well as various government and non-government actors involved in the climate politics. Through analyzing the political and socioeconomic factors that influence the world s largest carbon emitter s participation into the global collective actions against climate change, the book argues that as a vast continental state with a mix of authoritarian politics and a quasi-liberalised market economy, China s climate policy process is fragmented and self-defensive, seemingly having little room for significant compromises or changes; yet in response to the mounting international pressures and energy security concerns and attracted by lucrative carbon businesses and clean energy market, the regime shows some sort of better-than-expected flexibility and shrewdness in coping with the newly-emerged challenges. Its future climate actions, whether effective or not, are vital not only for the success of the global mitigation effort, but for China s own economic restructure and sustainable development. The book is a unique research monograph on the evolving domestic and foreign policies taken by the Chinese government to tackle climate change challenges. It concludes that instead of being motivated by concern about its vulnerability to climate change, Chinese climate-related policies have been mainly driven by its intensive attention to energy security, business opportunities lying in emerging green industries and image consideration in the global climate politics.
This book is designed for those scholars, students, policy-makers - or just curious readers - who are looking for heterodox thinking on the issue of environmental economics and policy. Contributions to this book draw on multiple streams of institutional and evolutionary economics and help build an approach to environmental policy that radically diverges from mainstream prescriptions. Institutions and technologies - and not only markets - are at the heart of a systemic and dynamic analysis of those structural changes which are needed to create a sustainable economy. Actors for change - and their ability to influence politics and policy - are explicitly taken into consideration. These issues are analyzed from different viewpoints by contributors to the book: some focus on behavior and institutions, others analyze the interaction of economic and technological dynamics; some provide sectoral case studies and others have the ambition to provide the reader with an overall picture. But all authors view environmental policy as a combination of actions that can trigger - and make viable - those structural changes which are needed to reach sustainability.
Environmental Policy is an increasingly important subject as we enter an era where environmental issues are affecting all walks of life. This informative Research Review provides a guide through the behavioral and political foundations of environmental economic policy. It discusses articles which give an in-depth view of the current economic discipline whilst also looking at research from other social and behavioral sciences. Students and scholars as well as environmental policy makers will find this an essential tool to navigate the political and behavioural issues that we have to understand in order to resolve some of the biggest political issues of our time.
From one of the world's leading experts on the subject, a fully updated introduction to the sustainability movement from the 1600s to today The word is nearly ubiquitous: at the grocery store we shop for "sustainable foods" that were produced from "sustainable agriculture"; groups ranging from small advocacy organizations to city and state governments to the United Nations tout "sustainable development" as a strategy for local and global stability; and woe betide the city-dweller who doesn't aim for a "sustainable lifestyle." Seeming to have come out of nowhere to dominate the discussion-from permaculture to renewable energy to the local food movement-the ideas that underlie and define sustainability can be traced back several centuries. In this illuminating and fascinating primer, newly revised and updated, Jeremy L. Caradonna does just that, approaching sustainability from a historical perspective and revealing the conditions that gave it shape. Locating the underpinnings of the movement as far back as the 1660s, Caradonna considers the origins of sustainability across many fields throughout Europe and North America. Taking us from the emergence of thoughts guiding sustainable yield forestry in the late 17th and 18th centuries, through the challenges of the Industrial Revolution, the birth of the environmental movement, and the emergence of a concrete effort to promote a balanced approach to development in the latter half of the 20th century, he shows that while sustainability draws upon ideas of social justice, ecological economics, and environmental conservation, it is more than the sum of its parts and blends these ideas together into a dynamic philosophy. Caradonna's book broadens our understanding of what "sustainability" means, revealing how it progressed from a relatively marginal concept to an ideal that shapes everything from individual lifestyles, government and corporate strategies, and even national and international policy. For anyone seeking understand the history of those striving to make the world a better place to live, here's a place to start.
The tropics is an area of enormous opportunity and potential. The countries situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are largely developing in nature. There is huge interest in the types of business investments made in Southeast Asia, Central Africa, and the Amazonian tropical belts. These tropical regions continue to face opportunities and challenges in attracting foreign direct investments as well as the need to complement and/or compete with larger economies external to the tropics. This book provides an empirical assessment of the key sociocultural, economic, environmental, and political factors that influence the business dynamics of organizations operating within the tropics. It will address but is not limited to topics such as attracting businesses to the tropics, facilitating smooth, stable conditions for business operations and sustainability, national institutions, and regulations that shape the way business is done, and the increasing deployment of new technologies and entrepreneurial innovations which are defining the global tropics as a distinct business region. It will offer readers a key focus for developing a deeper understanding of the factors and frameworks that influence and shape business activity in the area. While the primary audience for the book consists of academics and students from the fields of economics (environmental economics, developmental economics), business, international trade, tourism, and area studies, it will also provide a practical resource for government policy analysts wanting to fully appreciate some of the key economic and business issues facing the region.
India has moved along an impressive growth path over the last decade, marked with falling share of agriculture, stagnating manufacturing, expanding services segment, growing trade orientation, enhanced FDI inflows etc. The consequent growth implications are obvious as far as the numbers like GDP growth rate and Per Capita GDP trend are concerned, but how sustainable the associated development is with respect to resource management and environmental governance? This book captures the economy-wide impacts of various activities on environment in India. The environmental impacts on water, air, soil quality and human health are captured through case studies from different parts of India. Analyzing separately the concern areas within agriculture (cultivation, aquaculture), manufacturing (industrial pollution, power generation), services (waste management, bio-medical waste, e-waste recycling) and external sector (agricultural trade, FDI inflow, trade in waste products) performance of India, the book attempts to find an answer to that crucial question. The methodology adopted to capture the environmental impacts of various economic activities is derived from the relevant branches like environmental economics, agricultural economics, and water resources economics. The book, focusing on particular sectors, indicates the concern areas and possible ways for enhancing environmental governance.
The Energy Transition, the inevitable shift away from cheap, centralized, largely fossil-based energy systems, is one of the core challenges of our time. This book provides a coherent and novel insight into the nature of this challenge and possible strategies to accelerate and guide such transitions. It brings together prominent European scholars and practitioners from the fields of energy transition research and governance to draw attention to the current complex dynamics in the energy domain, and offer elegant and provocative explanations for current crises and lock-ins. They identify multiple energy transition pathways that emerge and increasingly compete, and emphasize the need and possibilities for novel governance. By analysing the complexity of energy transition processes and the difficulties in shifting to sustainable pathways, this text questions the extent to which actually governing energy transitions is already reality, just an illusion, or a bare necessity.
Environmental policy may produce effects which go beyond the scope of the specific policy's initial aim. Reforestation, for example, generates positive benefits not only in the shape of climate protection but also in the shape of the combat of biodiversity loss and it may also raise the attractiveness of a region for tourists. There are several examples of environmental policies, generating initially unintended co-effects. These co-effects are not always positive, of course. This book addresses the wide range of (co-)effects associated with environmental policies which may increase or decrease the attractiveness of these policies. Therefore, the book's scope goes beyond the standard economic analyses, which regularly postulate a specific cause-and-effect chain. The complexity and wide range of benefits is investigated from different perspectives and by means of different methodologies. Among the environmental policies discussed are climate mitigation policies as well as adaptation policies. The inclusion of all relevant effects of environmental policy (and therefore not only of the primarily intended effects) tends to have a strong impact on the efficient policy design. The areas which are covered by the book will be of great interest mainly for economists (environmental economics, ecological economics), ecologists and political scientists as well as practitioners, scientists and policy makers.
National Accounting Matrices of Environmental Accounts (NAMEA) tables are used to analyze a range of environmental pressures and economic data resulting from consumption and production patterns -- helping us gain a far better notion of the consequences of individuals', households' and firms' actions for the world we live in. This book deals with the increasingly complex issues of hybrid environmental and economic accounts. The perspective of environmental accounting for the analysis of the relationships between the economic and environmental systems, especially regarding the satellite accounts like NAMEA, is relatively recent, and partly derives from the conceptual and applied deficits that have emerged during the setting up of green GDP or GNP measures as alternative measures of accounting. NAMEA provides a comprehensive and integrated picture of the economic system in association with the environmental system (physical pressures such as emissions) by a sector classification.This book is an integrated collection of complementary papers that revolve around the issue of environment-economic accounting In the first part a historical background and empirical issues related to the NAMEA-type table definitions and estimations open the book, followed by some applications and analyses mainly applied to a sub-national level. The second part opens the window to international case studies for different EU countries and studies with methodological insights. These policy-oriented, original works are primarily from an applied perspective, although theoretical aspects are also fully developed. The book should be of use to Environmental and Ecological economics students and researchers, as well as those studying the more general field of Environment studies.
Urban systems now house about half of the world's population, but determine some three quarters of the global economy and its associated energy use and resulting environmental impacts. The 21st century will be increasingly urban. Sustainable development therefore needs first to be defined and analyzed, and then realized in urban settings. Energy is one of the key challenges, but also one of the key opportunities in the required urban sustainability transition. The book is the result of a major international effort to conduct the first comprehensive assessment of energy-related urban sustainability issues conducted under the auspices of the Global Energy Assessment (GEA). The assessment is also unique in that it embeds energy issues into the broader sustainability agenda of cities: including housing for the poor, functional transport systems, as well as environmental quality, in addition to the challenges imposed by climate change. Written by an eminent team of internationally renowned scholars it presents new data, new analysis, as well as new policy insights. It includes the first comprehensive global coverage overview of urban energy use and of the specifics of urban energy demand and supply. Major development and sustainability challenges of cities are assessed in detail and public and private sector opportunities and constraints of a sustainability transition examined in detail. Technological and policy options are put in a much needed context in terms of their respective role as drivers of urban energy demand as well as potentials for reductions in energy use and associated emissions of local pollutants as well as greenhouse gases. The analysis presents both a comprehensive literature review as well as novel, spatially explicit models of integrated urban energy policy analysis. The volume concludes with a summary assessment of policy options, priorities as well as paradoxes.
This book provides a timely analysis and assessment of the potential of organic agriculture (OA) for rural development and the improvement of livelihoods. It focuses on smallholders in developing countries and in countries of economic transition, but there is also coverage of and comparisons with developed countries. It covers market-oriented approaches and challenges for OA as part of high value chains and as an agro-ecologically based development for improving food security. It demonstrates the often unrecognised roles that organic farming can play in climate change, food security and sovereignty, carbon sequestration, cost internalisations, ecosystems services, human health and the restoration of degraded landscapes. The chapters specifically provide readers with: an overview of the state of research on OA from socio-economic, environmental and agro-ecological perspectives an analysis of the current and potential role of OA in improving livelihoods of farmers, in sustainable value chain development, and in implementation of agro-ecological methods proposed strategies for exploiting and improving the potential of OA and overcoming the constraints for further development a review of the strengths and weaknesses of OA in a sustainable development context
* Takes a truly holistic and interdisciplinary approach to sustainable fashion management * Fashion Management is growing in popularity as a postgraduate degree throughout the world, with UK institutions particularly well recognised as course providers. Sustainability is increasingly covered as a core module. * Competing titles are either research-based and technical or focus on one specific area of fashion sustainability, such as materials. This text provides a much more comprehensive and interdisciplinary outlook as well as a practical approach, combining theory with practical application from a management perspective.
Fundamentals of Sustainable Development is an accessible and interdisciplinary textbook that introduces the concept of sustainable development to students from across the disciplines from economics, management, teacher education, arts and humanities to the natural and social sciences. The impact of development needs to be considered beyond the narrow focus of economic, ecological or social concerns. This new edition builds upon the second edition's user-friendly and comprehensive overview of the challenges linked to striving for a sustainable, holistic approach to development. Providing a multifaceted approach to the subject in order to encompass what is referred to as 'people, planet and profit', this third edition provides a complete update of the text, with an emphasis on topics including the Sustainable Development Goals, the circular economy, climate and energy, and sustainable and future-focused entrepreneurship. This stimulating book is an invaluable resource for students and lecturers in all disciplines who have an interest in the sustainability of our planet, and our human society and economy.
The embedding of energy efficiency in the management of individual housing organisations is crucial for the realization of current ambitious energy efficiency policies. This issue is examined for the first time in this book through an analysis of selected case studies in new 'green' buildings, as well as in the retrofitting of existing housing, maintenance and budgeting. The links between policy ambitions, practice and housing management institutions are given particular attention. Thus the book is primarily concerned with how ambitions about energy efficiency are carried forward in investment decisions at the housing estate level. Technical and financial issues relevant for this are also addressed. The editors combine a wealth of experience in comparative research on housing policy and housing management with a strong academic background in housing studies and economics. The book aims to be internationally comparative including a range of countries. A chapter will be devoted to each of the following countries:- Sweden; Denmark; Germany; the Netherlands; England; France; Switzerland; Austria; Czech Republic; Slovenia; Canada. The book will appeal to a large audience of students and academics who are concerned with housing issues, urban policy and politics as well as to those engaged in research in energy efficiency policies in the built environment.
Forget the aesthetics of mainstream minimalism and discover a life of authenticity and intention with this "warm, engaging guide" (Laura Fenton, author of The Little Book of Small Living) to living with less...your way. When Christine Platt set out on her journey to live with less, she never intended to become The Afrominimalist. She just wanted to tame the chaos in her closet! But after struggling with the austerity and whiteness of mainstream minimalism, Christine realized why minimalism often seems unattainable for so many: the emphasis on all-white, barren aesthetics distracts from the practice of living with intention. And so, she decided to do things her way by curating a life of less influenced by the African diaspora. In The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living With Less, Christine gets right to the heart of how childhood experiences and expectations manifest in adulthood, the delicate dance between needs and wants, and the complicated weight of familial and societal pressures. A far cry from Konmaried closets, capsule wardrobes, and conspicuous consumption, Christine's brand of "living with less" is more than a decluttering regimen. "By detailing her own maximalist-to-minimalist transformation, Platt puts readers at ease" (The Washington Post) and presents a radical revisioning of minimalism, one that celebrates the importance of history and heritage, and gives you permission to make space for what really matters...your way. Beautifully illustrated with original black-and-white prints and line drawings, The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living With Less is a testament to the idea that anyone can be a minimalist and a warm invitation to a life curated with intention, perfect for readers of Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (The Minimalists), Marie Kondo, Joshua Becker, and Courtney Carver.
This text is the premier introductory environmental economics text for non-majors. Policy-oriented coverage of environmental economics for majors and non-majors alike. Environmental Economics and Policy 6/e is a companion text to the larger Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 8/e. This smaller, paper-bound policy text is intended for a broader audience that includes political science, environmental studies, and agricultural programs. Environmental Economics and Policy provides a broad but nuanced introduction to the field of environmental economics. This text begins with an introduction to core concepts and theory, followed by a series of policy chapters that are self-contained, allowing for a great degree of flexibility in course design. Boxes throughout the text introduce a large number of real-world examples and ongoing policy debates in order to bring new perspective to the issues being discussed. The sixth edition features new co-author Lynne Lewis from Bates College, a new chapter on land, more coverage on the use of GIS in both analysis and policy, and updates on topics such as climate, water pollution, transportation, and energy.
The book reveals the changing dynamics of the helium industry on both the supply-side and the demand-side. The helium industry has a long-term future and this important gas will have a role to play for many decades to come. Major new users of helium are expected to enter the market, especially in nuclear energy (both fission and fusion). Prices and volumes supplied and expected to rise and this will prompt greater efforts towards the development of new helium sources and helium conservation and recycling.
This book assembles a host of front-line insights on the role of power and inequalities in shaping patterns of land use and resource management. Most of the contributions are informed by the notion of political ecology, recognizing that human relations to the environment and human social relations are not separate phenomena but inextricably intertwined. The volume is unique is that it sets this approach in a trans-disciplinary, global and historical framework; the contributors represent a spectrum of academic disciplines including anthropology, sociology, geography, economics, economic history, historical archaeology, human ecology, development studies, and sustainability science.
The return to business-as-usual after the economic earthquake that rocked financial markets, wrecked banks and brought to light the grotesque distortions of casino capitalism on people and planet must be resisted. A new form of capitalism is both necessary and possible as some forward-thinking political, business and civil society leaders have now recognised. This book is about the myriad problems that we face and the systemic changes that are necessary for all enterprises in whatever sector and however constituted to operate within sustainable limits, to lower their ecological footprint, to enhance social equity, and to develop a sense of futurity. Waddock and McIntosh argue that enterprise, innovation and creativity, like conversation, caring and sharing, are part of what it means to be human. They argue that we need to redefine our relationship with commerce to reconcile our relationship with the Earth. The authors see the seeds of economic change in new and fundamentally different forms - in entrepreneurship, networks, governance, transparency and accountability - already being planted and beginning to grow. To nurture these developments, they believe that we need to learn to "see" in new ways to begin to recognise their worth and to create a sufficiently broad, coherent and integrated social movement for change that can overcome the momentum of the current system. Incremental change - CSR, for example - will not be enough. Deep change is needed in the purposing, goals and practice of business enterprise. Deep change is needed in the ways that we, as humans, relate to nature and natural systems under severe stress from resource overuse and depletion, a quadrupled population during the 20th century, and human impact on climate. And deep change is needed in the ways in which we relate to each other, use our time and build our communities. This book documents some of the changes that are already in progress and provides optimism that a sustainable enterprise economy geared to innovation, creativity, problem-solving, entrepreneurialism and enthusiasm for life can produce wealth, preserve the natural environment and nurture social capital.
As "business as usual" has become the mantra of today's world, it's unlikely to see a decrease in hazardous waste generated from greater economic growth. Written by renowned experts, the book suggests a solution, supported by theoretical arguments to this waste problem. The book discusses how main problems for waste management can be addressed through appropriate policies adopted by governments in OECD countries. The book also raises thoughtful questions on how household waste management services should be privatized and who should pay for the disposal and recycling costs. It attempts to answer these questions. The book considers several factors hindering the first-best optimal outcome and highlights two crucial ones. It elaborates further with models and the solutions on how to overcome these obstacles. The book covers not only traditional resource economics and waste management, but also the recent problem of Electric waste (E-waste) and illustrates in details, how the environments of developing countries are inevitably polluted even with the Basel ban Amendment in place. The book proposes an alternative international trading regulation to address E-waste. This book will certainly appeal to industry decision-makers, policy makers and legislators.
Political elites have been evading the causes of climate change through deceptive fixes. Their market-type instruments such as carbon trading aim to incentivise technological innovation which will supposedly decarbonize or replace dominant high-carbon systems. In practice this techno-market framework has perpetuated climate change and social injustices, thus provoking public controversy. Using this opportunity, social movements have counterposed low-carbon, resource-light, socially just alternatives. Such transformative mobilisations can fulfil the popular slogan, 'System Change Not Climate Change'. This book develops key critical concepts through case studies such as GM crops, biofuels, waste incineration and Green New Deal agendas. |
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