This volume is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of the nine environmental and health disputes that have been adjudicated at the WTO since 1995. The investigation concludes that criticism of the WTO has been overstated and, surprisingly, nations do in fact retain sovereignty over environmental and health policy. The disputes explored suggest that the WTO has been able to balance trade, environmental and health objectives. The discussion illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of the dispute resolution process and closes with suggestions for improving it. The Impact of the WTO will appeal not only to academics, be they economists, lawyers, political scientists, and academic libraries, but also practitioners, policymakers, and members of consumer, environmental, and business organizations who follow the debates surrounding the WTO's influence on environmental and health regulations.

Prosopis describes the enormous historical importance of these trees as a human food source and reviews the contemporary food science of the fruit derived from these trees. As well, this treatise reviews the native genetic resources of this genus on 4 continents and classical genetic and horticultural techniques that could help stabilize the environment and alleviate human suffering on some of the world's most destitute agro-ecosystems. This book is an essential read for researchers interested in forestry and plant science, environmental science, and functional foods. The legume family (Fabaceae) contains many genera and species that through their nitrogen fixing process provide high protein food and feed for humans and animals. As evidenced by its presence in Death Valley, California, which holds the record for the highest temperatures in the world, these types of plants can thrive in extreme environments.

Chitin and Chitosan: Discoveries and Applications for Sustainability provides the most comprehensive knowledge on these organic biopolymers which come from the cellular makeup of crustaceans, mollusks and arthropods. This book synthesizes historical information, fundamental properties, industrial applications, and recent discoveries and uses. Written by an international expert on chitin and chitosan sources and uses, the book discusses landmark discoveries and early uses in the research and applications of chitin and chitosan. It then explores the international use of chitin and chitosan as organic solutions across various disciplines such as aquaculture, agriculture, food and beverage industries, cosmetics and medicine. Finally, the book assesses their environmental applications for sustainable solutions, such as wastewater treatments and future chitin and chitosan usage as an organic solution for a more sustainable, green, healthy planet.

Research on the cutting edge of economics, ecology, and ethics is presented in this timely study. Building from a theoretical critique of the tradition of cost-benefit analysis, the contributors lay the foundation for a macroeconomics of environmental sustainability and distributive justice. Attention is then turned to three of the most critical areas of social and environmental applied research - biodiversity, climate change, and energy. The contributors redefine progress away from growth and toward development. To this end, the first section of the book tackles the dominant framework used in the US today to evaluate tradeoffs between economic growth and its inherent externalities. Succeeding chapters cover a wide variety of studies related to biodiversity health and energy. Each section is anchored with overviews by top scholars in these areas - including Herman Daly, Carl McDaniel, Stephen Schneider, and Nathan Hagens - and followed by detailed analyses reflecting the transdisciplinary approach of ecological economics. Students and scholars of ecological, environmental, and natural resource economics, sustainability sciences, and environmental studies will find this book of great interest. Non-profit and government agencies in search of methods and cases that merge the study of ecology and economics will also find the analyses of great practical value.

As economic growth continues to rise, so does economic degradation. Though certain rules and regulations do exist, pollution is fast becoming an unpaid factor of production, unlike the remunerations of labour and capital inputs. In this context, the environment is thus used as a factor of production which is not fully compensated. However, its use in the production process can be accurately captured by introducing emissions as an input in an aggregate production function, as Mihir Kumar Pal and other leading experts demonstrate. In a reverse approach, they examine the effect of emissions on industrial growth as opposed to that of growth on emissions, enhancing an awareness of this pivotal trade-off where the intersection between economy and environment currently needs it most. Offering both theoretical and empirical perspectives, The Impact of Environmental Emissions and Aggregate Economic Activity on Industry: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives is an insightful and original contribution to the sustainable development and economics canon.

Trade and the environment has become a major issue in international relations, yet the surrounding debate remains polarised and hostile. This book answers the question: Can an international liability regime facilitate international trade while fostering environmental sustainability?On the one hand, the authors argue, international trade is perceived as a major threat to environmental sustainability, whilst on the other, trade and the economic development arising from it is seen as the prerequisite to stronger environmental protection. Nowhere is the debate more acrimonious than over trade in genetically modified organisms. The Biosafety Protocol has been negotiated to govern trade in genetically modified products and includes provisions for an international liability regime to facilitate trade - a subject that has been little studied. This valuable study explores the role, design and potential effectiveness of such a regulating body and addresses questions such as - what are the options for an international environmental liability regime? Why are some options unworkable? Is there a set of options that will achieve the dual goals of trade facilitation and environmental protection? Is international liability the best option for defusing the trade and environment debate? This illuminating book will be an essential read for scholars and students (senior undergraduate as well as postgraduate) of international trade policy, environmental economics, international politics and international law. Individuals working in international organizations, those employed by environmental NGOs and government policy makers will also find much to engage them within this book.

This fully updated new edition continues in the vein of its predecessor by viewing cost-benefit analysis as applied welfare economics, while at the same time building on the earlier framework by extending the theory and providing further applications in each chapter. New for this edition are analyses of theory related applications in mental health, condom social marketing programs, female primary education as a means of preventing HIV/AIDS and the pricing of natural gas. Presented in an integrated manner, the theoretical concepts are constructed around the main building blocks of CBA, such as shadow pricing, distribution weights, the social discount rate and the marginal cost of public funds. This edition will cement the book's place as a major and accessible text in the field and will be of great interest to graduate and undergraduate students of welfare economics and microeconomic theory, as well as government economists involved with any area of public policy.

This provocative new book presents the results of twenty years of research on deforestation in the Amazon. By carefully observing the changing character of human settlements and their association with deforestation over such a prolonged period, the author is able to reject much of the 'perceived wisdom'. He skillfully dissects various models of deforestation and provides hard evidence on what is myth and what is reality. The book begins by challenging a hypothesis used by many scholars to explain deforestation. The 'turnover hypothesis' states that small farmers 'cause' deforestation by moving rapidly across newly forested land in an effort to make a living. Dr. Campari argues that in reality the process is far more complex. He reveals that it is actually the larger farms who are the main culprits of deforestation and that, in comparison, the impact of small farmers is marginal. He also challenges the belief that current deforestation, as in the past, is the result of distortionary government policies. The author proves that deforestation continues today because existing policies are based on outdated assumptions of regional development. He goes on to discuss the policy implications of his important findings and identify possibilities for controlling deforestation in the future. This is one of the few studies that accurately documents the process of deforestation in the Amazon. Researchers, academics and policymakers with an interest in environmental policy and natural resource management will appreciate the new and updated information and fresh policy ideas found in this volume.

Rutger Hoekstra examines the complex relationship between the monetary economy and the materials flows that are extracted and emitted by economic activities. These physical flows are responsible for many important environmental problems such as unsustainable resource depletion, waste production and climate change. This book discusses, applies and improves upon techniques which link the monetary and physical economies for environmental analyses. The book uses two sources of analysis: the physical input-output table (PIOT), a macro-economic account for the physical economy, recording material and product flows, including resource extraction, emissions and recycling; and structural decomposition analysis (SDA), which assesses the influence of structural changes, such as economic growth, consumption shifts, export growth and technological change, on environmental indicators. Methodological improvements in the PIOT and SDA systems are then presented by the author, and applied to empirical data. Ecological and industrial economists, along with those with an interest in environmental problems associated with the economy will find this book, with its extensive historical analysis and novel fore- and back-casting models, to be a fascinating read.

This major annual publication provides a state-of-the-art survey of contemporary research on environmental and resource economics by some of the leading experts in the field. The critical issues addressed in this year's volume include: * contingent valuation * environmental policy, technological change and economic growth * land use decisions and policy * sustainability indicators * value transfer and environmental policy * joint implementation in climate change policy * environmentally harmful subsidies.

'Eco-friendly' variants are rapidly gaining market share in many industries such as food, textiles, furniture, detergents and paints, automobiles, electrical appliances and domestic energy. These markets usually exhibit environmental differentiation, where consumers differ in their willingness to pay for the environmental attributes of a product. Building on the existing literature, this novel book provides a comprehensive analysis of firm strategy and environmental policy making in these types of 'green' markets. The author introduces the model of an environmentally differentiated duopoly, in order to explicitly analyse the strategic interaction within such a market. He studies in detail the effects of environmental product standards, eco-labels, 'green' R&D subsidies and environmental taxation on firm behaviour, welfare and emissions. Non-technical sections providing the empirical context expertly complement the formal theoretical analysis of environmental policy making. The author goes on to present important new conclusions for environmental policy and an agenda for future research. The Greening of Markets will be of immense interest to students and academics of environmental economics and applied industrial organisation, as well as policy makers and environmental managers.

Economical energy supply is vital for a country's financial success, and factors such as price, continuity, environmental pollution and the country's own energy resources are important contributors. Multidimensional Strategic Outlook on Global Competitive Energy Economics and Finance analyses current trends in energy production and use, with a focus on technological developments that contribute to the reduction of price in energy production and renewable energy sources that provide continuity in energy production and do not emit carbon into the atmosphere. Expanding on the current literature, this book focuses purely on current issues that can increase energy efficiency, while proposing strategies to use energy more effectively and efficiently. The strategies presented in this book will be a significant guide to both academics and industry professionals.

This collection of specially commissioned papers pays tribute to Karl-Gustaf Lofgren's significant and diverse contribution to theoretical and empirical research within the field of environmental and resource economics over the past two decades. A number of distinguished scholars examine a broad range of topics including sustainability, risk and uncertainty, demand theory and issues related to public goods. The book also contains analyses of more specific resource problems concerning fisheries, forestry management, wildlife and pollution. Together, the seventeen chapters provide an innovative and cutting-edge analysis of a smorgasbord of both old and new environmental and resource problems, including, amongst others: local public goods and income heterogeneity self-selection and the value of lives saved international fisheries agreements salmon and hydropower discrete versus continuous harvesting timber supply voluntary road pricing economic impacts of environmental regulations in California. Academics, researchers and students within the fields of environmental, resource and public economics will find this book to be a fascinating read.

Environmental taxes differ from each other according to the functions they serve and the manner in which they are implemented. This study highlights the appropriateness of different kinds of environmental taxes against a rigorous framework of theory and case study evidence. The purpose of this book is to analyse the way in which environmental taxes are categorized and which factors affect the effectiveness and efficiency of the different kinds of environmental taxes in practice. This pragmatic approach is emphasized along with the multiplicity of regulatory problems such as: At what level should the environmental tax rate be set? What is the proper time schedule for introducing an environmental tax? What are the most appropriate taxable characteristics and how should they be determined? What activities should be exempt from environmental taxation? How can tax relief be implemented? These are only some of the regulatory problems explored in this study, which also encompasses an examination of the theory of regulation. The author argues that economists have often paid too little attention to the administrative and legal issues concerning the implementation of legislation, such as environmental tax laws, which are of course vital to the success of any potential policy. Lawyers too have in turn neglected the theory of regulation, which would assist in analysing problems in a future-oriented way. Environmental Taxes will therefore be of great interest to a wide audience of environmental economists, law and economics scholars as well as policymakers.

This innovative volume systematically brings together two strands of applied research that, to date, have been carried out separately - 'smart growth' research and climate change adaptability research. By providing theory, models, and case studies from North America, Oceania and Europe, the book creates synergies between the two strands, reconciles differences, and provides insights for decision-makers at national and local levels. The contributors to the volume draw on modeling tools complementary to both camps as they explore the issues surrounding: water and energy use, health, transportation, urbanization and regional development. Examples from around the world illustrate the relationships between regional land use, infrastructure development, quality of life and climate change. The contributors take special care to develop theory and models in real-world contexts as they emphasize both the science of climate change and its land use management, policy and investment implications. In addition, they pay special attention to bridging the gaps that may exist among science and engineering, stakeholder interests, and policy implementation. Students, scholars and practitioners in the areas of geography, planning, land use, civil and environmental engineering, environmental economics, and policy will find the approaches and strategies in this volume of great interest.

This book offers an assessment of new opportunities available for the agricultural sector and provides technical assistance to the Greek authorities with regards to its rural development and fishery sector. Karantininis follows a value chain approach and analyzes the Greek agri-food industry, breaking it down vertically and horizontally. Vertically, the Greek agri-food chain is stripped to its main upstream and downstream components: inputs, primary production, distribution and retail. Horizontally, the agri-food value chain is analyzed in terms of size, ownership, governance and space. The author pays special attention to policy formation, policy implementation, the political and industrial structure, land and credit markets, education, extension and research. The author focuses on this through three subcategories of fruits and vegetables, aquaculture and olive oil. A number of opinions and recommendations are presented in each section, concluding with propositions for a new institutional structure for Greek agriculture.

1.2 billion people on Earth still don't have electricity. Even where cell phones are now common, like sub-Saharan Africa and parts of India, villagers still walk miles to charge them. But new large-scale, sustainable solutions will not only usher in a new era of light, but be an important first step in lifting people from poverty and putting them on a road of sustainable economic development. Also, a unique, transforming opportunity for Western thinkers and practitioners will be created. These areas have largely skipped the analog stage of power development, and have moved straight from the middle ages to the digital age. They are not encumbered by existing infrastructure, dependence on fossil fuels, or too many outdated laws and regulations. An ideal innovation incubator, the developing world might just be the best way to make progress on our own energy issues at home. Jim Rogers is leading a grand collaborative effort to bring sustainable, clean electrical power to everyone who lacks it. This reverse engineering, he contends, could solve the energy crises of America and Europe, while also making the world a cleaner, smarter place. But it won't be easy. In Lighting the World, Rogers details the bold thinking, international cooperation, and political will required to illuminate the future for everyone.

In the current era of globalisation, national governments are increasingly exposed to international influences which can present many new constraints and opportunities for domestic environmental policies. This comprehensive Handbook pushes the frontiers of theoretical and empirical knowledge, and provides a state-of-the-art examination of the critical effects of globalisation on environmental governance. Following a comprehensive introduction by the editors, the expert contributors analyse key concepts and recent developments in themes such as national regimes, types of environmental goods, trade rules and environmental policies, eco-innovation policy, government-business cooperation, the role of citizen-consumers in environmental politics, and governance in developing countries. They also present various societal perspectives, including the role of businesses and non-governmental organisations. Eight original case studies address global influences on domestic environmental policies and government participation in international and supranational fora. The Handbook concludes with innovative and challenging views on the future role of national governments in global environmental governance. Including contributions from leading authorities in academia, government, and business, this comprehensive new Handbook provides an insightful overview of the powerful effect of globalisation on national environmental policy. The depth and scope of the work will ensure a broad and varied readership, including academics, students, and policymakers in the fields of governance, environmental politics and law, international relations, and political science.

This important new book enhances our understanding of the dynamic interactions between economic activity, economic growth, pollution abatement and environmental policy. It addresses one main policy problem: how can the direct and indirect costs of environmental policy for multiple pollutants be properly assessed in an applied model? Using an original methodology, the author constructs a multi-sectoral dynamic applied general equilibrium model. This new integrated model greatly improves the empirical analysis of the dynamic reactions of economic agents to pollution control, explicitly taking into account the direct and indirect effects of abatement on the economy and the environment. The author goes on to apply the model to study the costs of various environmental policies including climate change, acidification, eutrophication, smog formation and the dispersion of fine dust. He finds that if environmental policies can be implemented simultaneously and in a cost-effective manner, the economic costs of these policies can be effectively limited through a combination of economic restructuring and adopting technical abatement measures. Modelling the Costs of Environmental Policy will prove essential and enlightening reading for scholars, students and researchers of environmental and resource economics, environmental policy and economic modelling.

This major annual publication provides a state-of-the-art survey of contemporary research on environmental and resource economics by some of the leading experts in the field. The critical issues addressed in this year's volume include: the management of high seas fisheries; choosing environmental risks; the stability and design of international environmental agreements; managing environmental risk through insurance; motor vehicles and the environment; recreation demand models; stated preference methods for environmental valuation; pollution control policy in developing countries.

Deforestation and agricultural land degradation are major problems in developing countries. While they have attracted much attention, most analyses and policy recommendations examine them in isolation from their broader economic and policy setting. This path breaking and timely book takes an economy-wide approach to the analysis of developing-country resource degradation problems. The Open Economy and the Environment asks what globalization means for environmental quality and the use of natural resources in developing economies. The authors develop theoretical models that trace the effects of trade and trade liberalization on sectoral resource allocation, factor returns, income and welfare, as well as incentives to clear forest and degrade agricultural land. The models reflect important developing economy features including spatial distinctions between uplands and lowlands, open-access forest resources and the special features of domestic food markets. The authors also analyze representative economy submodels, explore empirical cases based on applied general equilibrium models of Asian economies, and examine welfare and environmental implications of migration, trade liberalization and development policy. Researchers and graduate educators in agricultural, development, environmental and international economics, will find the core subject matter of this book of great interest, as will economists specializing in Asian economies.

This major annual publication provides a state-of-the-art survey of contemporary research on environmental and resource economics by some of the leading experts in the field. The critical issues addressed in this year's volume include: * contingent valuation * environmental policy, technological change and economic growth * land use decisions and policy * sustainability indicators * value transfer and environmental policy * joint implementation in climate change policy * environmentally harmful subsidies.

Economic Growth and the Environment explores the debate on how to reconcile economic growth with protection of the natural environment, and the closely related discussion on whether an increasing scarcity of natural resources will eventually force economic growth to cease. The debate focusses on whether environmental policies will benefit the economy or not, and is divided into growth optimists and growth pessimists. In general, economists have been optimistic and have pointed to the possibilities of technological progress and substitution, yet they also acknowledge that natural resources and environmental concern do restrict economic growth. The difficulty lies in quantifying the constraint to economic growth. Modern growth economists have constructed models to examine to what extent 'growth pessimism' is theoretically warranted. This book provides an introduction to some of these models, brings together the discussion between growth optimists and pessimists, and presents the theory behind their arguments. It aims to present models where both sides can meet and where both are able to derive expected results with the parameter values that they deem appropriate. From there, the discussions can turn to the empirical observations about these parameters. This book will be of interest to advanced undergraduates in economics, microeconomics, economic growth, sustainable development, and environmental economics. Each chapter concludes with a set of Exercises designed to help the reader master the models.

This manual offers a detailed, up-to-date explanation of how to carry out economic valuation using stated preference techniques. It is relevant for the application of these techniques to all non-market goods and services including air and water quality; provision of public open space; health care that is not sold through private markets; risk reduction policies and investments not provided privately; provision of information as with the recorded heritage, the protection of cultural assets and so on. The resulting valuations can be used for a number of purposes including, but not limited to, demonstrating the importance of a good or service; cost-benefit analysis; setting priorities for environmental policy; design of economic instruments; green national/corporate accounting, and natural resource damage assessment. Compiled by the leading experts in the field, this manual starts by explaining the concepts. It shows how to choose the most appropriate technique and how to design the questionnaires. Detailed advice on econometric analysis is provided, as well as explanation of the pitfalls that need to be avoided.

In this book a distinguished group of international contributors, from both developing and higher income countries, identify and discuss major social conflicts, labour and distributional concerns, environmental issues and impacts arising from the very rapid increase in globalisation experienced since the early 1970s. Issues considered include possible alternatives to globalisation; cultural and linguistic inequalities associated with globalisation, consequences of growing regionalism and economic inequality between and within nations. Poverty, international migration, biodiversity conservation, natural resource sustainability, and global trade in genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are also discussed. A substantial introductory chapter provides a significant overview of the rate and process of economic globalisation and integrates the contributions and their interconnections for the reader. Economic Globalisation offers policy proposals and responses and represents divergent views and rigorous theoretical analysis. Economists, particularly those with an interest in international economics, labour, environmental and ecological economics, macroeconomics and social economics will all find this book of great interest.