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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Environmental economics > General
This book presents 'human ecology economics' as a new and more comprehensive interdisciplinary framework for understanding 'world conditions and human systems'. This book helps economists rethink the boundaries and methods of their discipline - so that they can participate more fully in debates over humankind's present problems and on the ways that they can be solved. Authors contributing to this book agree that human ecology economics is a superior framework for responding to global sustainability concerns because, unlike traditional economics and other social sciences, it allows a long time run perspective, encourages use of the humanities, and effectively juxtaposes 'sustainability' and other interdisciplinary issues alongside traditional economic issues. The contributors explore the following types of questions: What drives innovation and evolution in the world economy? What allows the U.S. one-third of the world's wealth and a leadership role going into the twenty-first century? How can we better understand and address the causes of poverty, inequality, social conflict and inadequate food and energy supplies? Will responding to climate change and other concerns require changes in our ways of being? The book is written for the non-specialist as well as the professional economist in order to advance shared understanding of these 'challenges to humankind'. This book is relevant to courses in Economics, International Relations, Environmental Science and Studies, Ecology and Political Economy among others, and will also benefit any professional audience interested in world conditions and global concerns, including business people, non-profit organisations and governments.
Cut Carbon, Grow Profits illustrates what every corporation needs to know in order to manage the carbon and sustainability challenges facing societies, cities, individuals and businesses today. With contributions from international experts, Cut Carbon, Grow Profits shows the benefits of incorporating strategic aspects of carbon thinking into the business strategies of companies, their customers and suppliers. In so doing, businesses create sustainable shareholder value, cut costs, increase revenues, build powerful corporate reputations, develop new low-carbon products and services, engage employees, and create powerful brands. Cut Carbon, Grow Profits contains examples and case studies taken from cutting-edge companies in the US, Europe and Asia across a variety of sectors. Essential reading for business executives at every level, this book will guide and inspire leaders in all functions. Leading contributors include: BT, Ford Motor Company, Lloyd's of London, Siemens, YTL Corporation, World Resources Institute, Ceres, Forum for the Future, The Climate Group, London Climate Change Agency, Global Action Plan, Arup and Ernst & Young.
The central challenge for Arizona and many other arid regions in the world is keeping a sustainable water supply in the face of rapid population growth and other competing demands. This book highlights new approaches that Arizona has pioneered for managing its water needs. The state has burgeoning urban areas, large agricultural regions, water dependent habitats for endangered fish and wildlife, and a growing demand for water-based recreation. A multi-year drought and climate-related variability in water supply complicate the intense competition for water. Written by well-known Arizona water experts, the essays in this book address these issues from academic, professional, and policy perspectives that include economics, climatology, law, and engineering. Among the innovations explored in the book is Arizona's Groundwater Management Act. Arizona is not alone in its challenges. As one of the seven states in the Colorado River Basin that depend heavily on the river, Arizona must cooperate, and sometimes compete, with other state, tribal, and federal governments. One institution that furthers regional cooperation is the water bank, which encourages groundwater recharge of surplus surface water during wet years so that the water remains available during dry years. The Groundwater Management Act imposes conservation requirements and establishes planning and investment programs in renewable water supplies. The essays in Arizona Water Policy are accessible to a broad policy-oriented and nonacademic readership. The book explores Arizona's water management and extracts lessons that are important for arid and semi-arid areas worldwide.
Holistic in approach and rooted in the real world Ecological
Economics and Industrial Ecology presents a new way of looking at
environmental policy; exploring the relationship between ecological
economics and industrial ecology.
Concentrating on the conceptual background of ecological
economics and industrial ecology, this book:
A topical and critical review, this book should be read by
academics and policy makers alike, specifically those engaged with
the concepts surrounding sustainable development and the rationale
for more restrictive environmental policies.
Almost every manager today knows that satisfying customers by meeting their quality demands is a critical component of business success. Quality management is a given in modern companies - a competitive imperative. Yet it was not always so. Back when the quality movement was getting started, few managers really understood either the importance of quality to customers or how to manage for quality. Much the same could be said today about managing responsibility. Why and how should responsibility be managed? What is responsibility management? Total Responsibility Management answers these questions while at the same time providing a systemic framework for managing a company's responsibilities to stakeholders and the natural environment that can be applied in a wide range of contexts. This framework uses managerial familiarity with quality management to illustrate the drivers for responsibility management. Companies know that product or service quality affects their customer relationships and the trust customers have in the company's products and services. So, too, a company's management of its responsibilities to other constituencies affects its relationships with those other stakeholders and the natural environment. But why bother? The answer is quite simple. Never has it been easier for employees, reporters, activists, investors, community members, the media and other critical observers to find fault with companies and their subsidiaries. A problem identified, even in a remote region or within a remote supplier, can instantaneously be transmitted around the world at the click of a mouse. Ask footwear, toy, clothing and other highly visible branded companies what their recent experience with corporate critics has been and they will tell you about the need to manage their stakeholder responsibilities (human rights, labour relations, environmental, integrity-related) or face significant consequences in the limelight of public opinion. Managers will discover that whether they do it consciously or not, they are already managing responsibility, just as companies were already managing quality when the quality movement hit. This manual makes the process of managing responsibilities to and relationships with stakeholders and nature explicit. Making the process explicit is important because too few of today's decisions-makers yet understand how they are managing stakeholder responsibilities as well as they understand how to manage quality. Managing responsibilities goes well beyond traditional 'do good' or discretionary activities associated with philanthropy and volunteerism, which are frequently termed 'corporate social responsibility'. In its broadest sense, responsibility management means taking corporate citizenship seriously as a core part of the way the company develops and implements its business model. The specifics of responsibility management are unique to each company, its industry, its products and its stakeholders, yet, as this manual illustrates, a general approach to managing responsibility is feasible - indeed, is increasingly necessary. Based on work undertaken by Boston College and the International Labour Office, Total Responsibility Management is the first CSR manual. Its original case studies add value to a range of tools and exercises that will make it required reading for all managers in need of a practical guide to managing responsibility and to students and researchers looking for an overarching framework to contextualise the changing responsibilities of global business.
As the world plans for economic recovery following the global COVID-19 pandemic, major economies are looking to comprehensive strategies for addressing carbon risks and identifying green finance opportunities. Since Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and Michael Bloomberg began tackling climate change as a financial concern, the international financial community has been developing sophisticated analytical tools that will enable the success of comprehensive efforts to address carbon risks and identify green finance opportunities. This timely publication offers a cutting-edge analysis of the financial aspects of climate change. It discusses the most important analytical tools, their origin, how they work, where they can go, and how they fit into a larger strategy. First, reporting frameworks can allow companies to see how well they are addressing carbon risks, in particular with respect to the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. Second, by quantifying how much greenhouse gas companies emit into the atmosphere as a direct or indirect result of their operations, carbon footprint calculations can help identify carbon risks with particular companies, especially within supply chains. Third, brown taxonomies can help investors identify current carbon risks by classifying fossil fuel assets in a systematic manner. Fourth, green taxonomies can help investors identify current green finance opportunities by classifying sustainable activities in a systematic manner. Fifth, scenario analysis for assets can help investors identify future carbon risks and green finance opportunities. Finally, stress testing for liabilities can help insurers and banks address future carbon risks and better inform policymakers. Scholars, policymakers, and business professionals will find this book informative. They will gain a comprehensive understanding of the analytical tools supporting efforts to address carbon risks and identify green finance opportunities. This will hopefully make these individuals more successful in their personal endeavors to build a more sustainable and resilient economy for future generations.
There are many studies confirming the relationship between financial systems and economic development, but there are few which examine the degree to which financial systems a) impact the quality of information, b) influence sound corporate governance, c) ensure effective mechanisms of risk management, d) mobilize savings and f) facilitate trade. In the context of sustainability, there should also be a line of inquiry into how a particular financial system influences the assurance and implementation of sustainable development principles and goals. This book delivers a methodological approach to designing and assessing sustainable financial systems. It provides an original contribution by prioritizing ESG factors in the decision-making process of financial institutions and identifying their impact on sustainable financial systems. The author argues that to achieve financial stability, it is necessary to have in place mechanisms designed to prevent financial problems from becoming systemic and/or threatening the stability of the financial and economic system, while maintaining (or not undermining) the economy's ability to sustain growth and perform its other functions. The book primarily takes a simulation and experimental approach. It is the first book to take such a comprehensive look at sustainable financial systems as opposed to sustainable finance in general. It will appeal to academics, students and researchers in the fields of economics, finance and banking, business, management and political and social sciences.
* * The new book from the internationally renowned author of The Solar Economy and A Solar Manifesto, and named one of Time Magazine's "Heroes of the Green Century."For 200 years industrial civilization has relied on the combustion of abundant and cheap carbon fuels. But continued reliance has lead to perilous consequences. On the one hand, the insecurity of relying on the world's most unstable region--the Middle East--compounded by the imminence of Peak Oil, growing scarcity, and mounting prices. Yet there is an answer: to make the transition to renewable sources of energy and to distributed, decentralized energy generation. It is a model that has been proven, technologically, commercially and politically, as Scheer comprehensively demonstrates. He shows that the widely advocated return to nuclear power is compromised and illusory.The energy autonomy route does not just avoid the harm from following business-as-usual, but also offers enormous additional positive benefits. Whole new industries will be created to stimulate the global economy and two billion people, who don't receive electricity now, will have access to it. The advantages are so clear and so overwhelming that resistance to them needs diagnosis, which Scheer also provides, showing why and how entrenched interests oppose the transition and what must be done to overcome these obstacles.
This book draws on the expertise of faculty and colleagues at the Balsillie School of International Affairs to both locate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a contribution to the development of global government and to examine the political-institutional and financial challenges posed by the SDGs. The contributors are experts in global governance issues in a broad variety of fields ranging from health, food systems, social policy, migration and climate change. An introductory chapter sets out the broad context of the governance challenges involved, and how individual chapters contribute to the analysis. The book begins by focusing on individual SDGs, examining briefly the background to the particular goal and evaluating the opportunities and challenges (particularly governance challenges) in achieving the goal, as well as discussing how this goal relates to other SDGs. The book goes on to address the broader issues of achieving the set of goals overall, examining the novel financing mechanisms required for an enterprise of this nature, the trade-offs involved (particularly between the urgent climate agenda and the social/economic goals), the institutional arrangements designed to enable the achievement of the goals and offering a critical perspective on the enterprise as a whole. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals makes a distinctive contribution by covering a broad range of individual goals with contributions from experts on governance in the global climate, social and economic areas as well as providing assessments of the overall project - its financial feasibility, institutional requisites, and its failures to tackle certain problems at the core. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of international affairs, development studies and sustainable development, as well as those engaged in policymaking nationally, internationally and those working in NGOs.
The international community is putting some pressure on scientific researchers to come up with reliable indicators to estimate emissions from greenhouse gases. The development towards integrative multi gas strategy approaches has allowed the inclusion of the agricultural sector in the political agenda. Modelling alternatives for the estimation of emission factors, definition of policy instruments for greenhouse gas emission abatement as well as measurement of their economic effects are at this stage quite important for the coming multilateral negotiations.
The central challenge encountered by Arizona and many other arid regions in the world is keeping a sustainable water supply in the face of rapid population growth and other competing demands. This book highlights new approaches that Arizona has pioneered for managing its water needs. The state has burgeoning urban areas, large agricultural regions, water-dependent habitats for endangered fish and wildlife, and a growing demand for water-based recreation. A multi-year drought and climate-related variability in water supply complicate the intense competition for water. Written by well-known Arizona water experts, the essays in this book address these issues from academic, professional, and policy perspectives that include economics, climatology, law, and engineering. Among the innovations explored in the book is Arizona's Groundwater Management Act. Arizona is not alone in its challenges. As one of the seven states in the Colorado River Basin that depend heavily on the river, Arizona must cooperate, and sometimes compete, with other state, tribal, and federal governments. One institution that furthers regional cooperation is the water bank, which encourages groundwater recharge of surplus surface water during wet years so that the water remains available during dry years. The Groundwater Management Act imposes conservation requirements and establishes planning and investment programs in renewable water supplies. The essays in Arizona Water Policy are accessible to a broad policy-oriented and nonacademic readership. The book explores Arizona's water management and extracts lessons that are important for arid and semi-arid areas worldwide.
This volume brings together a number of prominent economic studies all of which deal with key water quality issues. The studies focus on the economic aspects of water quality including identifying the polluters' actions and incentives, designing and comparing control mechanisms, analyzing the costs and benefits of water quality programmes, and finally managing transboundary water quality. They all make recommendations for improving water quality through changing incentives, programmes and/or policies.
How will humanity continue to meet its energy needs without destroying the conditions necessary to sustain human life on earth? The search for an answer to this question depends as much on the past as on the present; and as much on the physical sciences as on the social sciences. This book offers a truly trans-disciplinary and trans-cultural look at the problem of energy production and consumption in modern times. Discussing issues of history, politics, science, risk, lifestyle and representation, contributors demonstrate that experiences through time can provide insights into the kinds of solutions that have succeeded, as well as reasons why other solutions have failed. They also show what different countries and cultures might learn from each other, emphasizing how discoveries in one discipline have inspired new approaches in another discipline. Among many other important conclusions, the book suggests that energy transitions do not occur simply because of the exhaustion of old energy sources, and any solutions to the incipient energy crisis of the 21st century will depend on people's perceptions of science, environment and risk, informed and shaped in turn by the media.
The ability to accurately monitor, record, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions is the cornerstone of any effective policy to mitigate climate change. Accounting for Carbon provides the first authoritative overview of the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emissions from the industrial site, project and company level to the regional and national level. It describes the MRV procedures in place in more than fifteen of the most important policy frameworks - such as emissions trading systems in Europe, Australia, California and China, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - and compares them along key criteria such as scope, cost, uncertainty and flexibility. This book draws on the work of engineers and economists to provide a practical guide to help government and non-governmental policymakers and key stakeholders in industry to better understand different MRV requirements, the key trade-offs faced by regulators and the choices made by up-and-running carbon pricing initiatives.
Published in 1997, this book is about the link between trade and the environment which has become a very important national issue for all countries, in particular, those countries which have been undergoing lengthy periods of trade and investment liberalization programmes recently. This has also become an international issue of tremendous current interest given its implications on the global environment and trading system. International organizations such as WTO, OECD, the UN and regional trading arrangements such as NAFTA, EEC and APEC have been actively involved in the policy debate. Despite the critical importance of trade-environment issues, less is known about the linkages between the two. This book presents a New Zealand perspective as a case-study of global interest for two reasons: firstly, many countries, both developed and developing, are taking the New Zealand economic reforms as a model for restructuring their economies. Secondly, New Zealand is going to become a member of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation), together with 17 other countries in the area by 2010 (developed countries) and 2020 (developing countries). The book is expected to contribute significantly to the current debate and to assist in the process of reconciliation of trade and environmental policies for sustainable development within the context of APEC integration.
In this fourth and final volume of the CARE-ing for Integral Development series, Ronnie Lessem integrates all that has come before in terms of: Community activation; Awakening integral consciousness; and institutionalized Research. Here he focuses on individual and community development alongside that of the organization or society, and sets it in the context of an integral economy. The four critical success factors identified in recognizing and releasing integral development aligned with CARE are: GROUNDING - linking up with and building upon existing local and global movements for socio-economic development; EMERGENCE - maintaining interconnected focus; NAVIGATING - locating and developing GENE-ius in a particular community/society; EFFECTING - committing to resolving an issue and identifying the most fertile development path. Embodying Integral Development offers a comprehensive system of accreditation. Supported by examples and illustrations of CARE, this book makes a case for Integral Development as a whole. It argues that it is a qualitative means of self-assessment rather than a quantitative one, focused on engagement, immersion and interpretation, as well as evaluation, rather than empirical verification.
This new edition of "Environmental and Natural Resources Economics" provides an accessible yet rigorous treatment of the subject, including the economics of sustainability. The new edition has been updated extensively throughout. A new chapter has been added on fisheries economics and policy, and the chapter on global climate change has been substantially rewritten to incorporate new scientific information and evolving public policy. Many new figures and tables have been added, and the glossary has also been expanded. Readers will appreciate the balanced and accessible coverage, and the integration of economics with science and public policy.
Environmental cost-benefit analysis was developed by economists in the belief that monetary valuation of the environmental repercussions of economic activity is essential if the "environment " stands any chance of being included in government and business decisions. This volume examines the limitations of this monetary approach, and considers the alternatives. Three broad angles from which to view environmental values are presented: applying social psychology concepts which challenge standard approaches; introducing multidimensional and non-monetary techniques; and examining vested interest group and citizen participation in processes of environmental valuation. Combinations of these approaches are also covered. The contributions presented are a valuable resource for both environmental and ecological economists. This authoritative book will also prove useful for those with a general interest in the environment, including policy-makers and non-governmental organizations.
As external forces increase the demand for land conversion, communities are increasingly open to policies that encourage conservation of farm and forest lands. This interest in conservation notwithstanding, the consequences of land-use policy and the drivers of land conversions are often unclear. One of the first books to deal exclusively with the economics of rural-urban sprawl, Economics and Contemporary Land Use Policy explores the causes and consequences of rapidly accelerating land conversions in urban-fringe areas, as well as implications for effective policy responses. This book emphasizes the critical role of both spatial and economic-ecological interactions in contemporary land use, and the importance of a practical, policy-oriented perspective. Chapters illustrate an interaction of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical approaches to land-use policy and highlight advances in policy-oriented economics associated with the conservation and development of urban-fringe land. Issues addressed include (1) the appropriate role of economics in land-use policy, (2) forecasting and management of land conversion, (3) interactions among land use, property values, and local taxes, and (4) relationships among rural amenities, rural character, and urban-fringe land-use policy. Economics and Contemporary Land Use Policy is a timely and relevant contribution to the land-use policy debate and will prove an essential reference for policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels. It will also be of interest to students, academics, and anyone with an interest in the practical application of economics to land-use issues. "The convergence of land use and policy represents a criticalarea of ongoing research, yet one that is fraught with special challenges.... The reemergence of the economics of land use as a compelling field of inquiry reflects the many dimensions in which land contributes to social well-being and the many policy arenas in which land plays an important role. Once viewed only as an input in the production of food and fiber, land now stands as a key element in the definition of households' quality of life." -- Nancy E. Bockstael, University of Maryland, from the foreword
As external forces increase the demand for land conversion, communities are increasingly open to policies that encourage conservation of farm and forest lands. This interest in conservation notwithstanding, the consequences of land-use policy and the drivers of land conversions are often unclear. One of the first books to deal exclusively with the economics of rural-urban sprawl, Economics and Contemporary Land Use Policy explores the causes and consequences of rapidly accelerating land conversions in urban-fringe areas, as well as implications for effective policy responses. This book emphasizes the critical role of both spatial and economic-ecological interactions in contemporary land use, and the importance of a practical, policy-oriented perspective. Chapters illustrate an interaction of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical approaches to land-use policy and highlight advances in policy-oriented economics associated with the conservation and development of urban-fringe land. Issues addressed include (1) the appropriate role of economics in land-use policy, (2) forecasting and management of land conversion, (3) interactions among land use, property values, and local taxes, and (4) relationships among rural amenities, rural character, and urban-fringe land-use policy. Economics and Contemporary Land Use Policy is a timely and relevant contribution to the land-use policy debate and will prove an essential reference for policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels. It will also be of interest to students, academics, and anyone with an interest in the practical application of economics to land-use issues. "The convergence of land use and policy represents a criticalarea of ongoing research, yet one that is fraught with special challenges.... The reemergence of the economics of land use as a compelling field of inquiry reflects the many dimensions in which land contributes to social well-being and the many policy arenas in which land plays an important role. Once viewed only as an input in the production of food and fiber, land now stands as a key element in the definition of households' quality of life." -- Nancy E. Bockstael, University of Maryland, from the foreword
This original, timely and innovative collection is the first to offer critical IPE perspectives on the interconnections between energy, capitalism and the future of world order. The authors discuss the importance of energy for our understanding of the global political economy, climate change and key new developments like 'fracking'.
During the past century, tropical rain forests have been reduced to about half of their original area, with consequent loss of biodiversity. Written by leading experts with years of practical and academic experience, this book focuses on the erosion of biodiversity in tropical rain forests, and the role of protected areas in stemming that loss. The book looks at a system of protected areas which could be the cornerstone of all conservation strategies aimed at limiting the inevitable reduction of the planet's biodiversity.
The fourth Factor X publication from the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), Sustainable Development and Resource Productivity: The Nexus Approaches explores the interdependencies of sustainable development paths and associated resource requirements, describing and analysing the necessities for a more resource efficient world. The use of and competition for increasingly scarce resources are growing worldwide with current production and consumption patterns of industrialised economies soon to reach the point where the ecosphere will be overtaxed far beyond its limits. Against this background, this volume examines the important initiatives to monitor resource use at the international, EU and national level. The current trends and challenges related to sustainable resource use are discussed, including international challenges for a resource efficient world, megatrends, justice and equitable access to resources. In the second part of the book, contributions examine implementation strategies. They assess the concept known as circular economy and discuss the theory of growth and the role of the financial and education systems. The final section places special emphasis on practical examples. Overall, the book presents concrete ways and examples of achieving more sustainability in practice. Discussing solutions for a more sustainable use of natural resources, this book is essential reading for scholars and students of natural resources and sustainable development and decision-makers and experts from the fields of policy development, industry and civil society. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781003000365, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is the first comprehensive guide to green design using economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) models. It is a must-have for companies trying to improve the environmental profile of their products and processes, for regulators attempting to quantify life cycle implications of products and services, and for students and scholars of green design. Environmental life cycle assessment is often thought of as "cradle to grave" and therefore as the most complete accounting of the environmental costs and benefits of a product or service. However, as anyone who has done an environmental life cycle assessment knows, existing tools have many problems: data is difficult to assemble and life cycle studies take months of effort. A truly comprehensive analysis is prohibitive, so analysts are often forced to simply ignore many facets of life cycle impacts. But the focus on one aspect of a product or service can result in misleading indications if that aspect is benign while other aspects pollute or are otherwise unsustainable. This book summarizes the EIO-LCA method, explains its use in relation to other life cycle assessment models, and provides sample applications and extensions of the model into novel areas. A final chapter explains the free, easy-to-use software tool available on a companion website. The software tool provides a wealth of data, summarizing the current U.S. economy in 500 sectors with information on energy and materials use, pollution and greenhouse gas discharges, and other attributes like associated occupational deaths and injuries.
The theoretical arguments for environmental taxes and other types of economic instruments for environmental protection have been discussed extensively in the literature. Rather less well discussed has been the extremely complex form that such instruments have in fact taken in practice. Environmental Taxation Law: Policy, Contexts and Practice examines the legal implications of introducing environmental taxes and other economic instruments into the regulatory framework of UK law. In doing so, it analyzes and explains the difficulties of grafting environmental taxes onto the complexities of existing regulatory structures, not all of which, of course, were originally devised with environmental considerations in mind. Although the focus of the book is the UK's pioneering implementation of a web of distinct yet interrelated policy measures, it locates the UK's taxes and instruments not simply in their broader context of market and environmental regulation, but also in the contexts of European and international law. |
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