Greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets have long been promoted as an important element of a comprehensive climate policy approach. Offset programs can reduce the overall cost of achieving a given emission goal by enabling emission reductions to occur where costs are lower. Offsets have the potential to deliver sustainability co-benefits, through technology development and transfer. They can also develop human and institutional capacity for reducing emissions in sectors and locations not included in a cap and trade or a mandatory government policy. However, offsets can pose a risk to the environmental integrity of climate actions, especially if issues surrounding additionality, permanence, leakage, quantification and verification are not adequately addressed. The challenge is to design offset programs and policies that can maximize their potential benefits while minimizing their potential risks. This handbook provides a systematic and comprehensive review of existing offset programs. It looks at what offsets are, how offset mechanisms function, and the successes and pitfalls they have encountered. Coverage includes offset programs across the full swath of applications including mandatory and voluntary systems, government regulated and private markets, carbon offset funds, and accounting and reporting protocols such as the WBCSD/WRI GHG Protocol and ISO 14064. Learning from the successes and failures of these programs will be essential to crafting effective climate policy. This is an essential reference for all regulators, policy makers, business leaders and NGOs concerned with the design and operation of GHG offset programs world-wide. Published with SEI

This two-volume book offers a broad range of discussions on the immense challenge of climate change, one confronting every country on the planet and forcing them to find a path towards a sustainable future that will not have disastrous consequences in relation to our chances of survival. It also presents a snapshot of the status quo, which reflects all the decisions and measures taken to date. Analyzing the consequences of the steps that will shape our future, the two volumes also reflect on important decisions at a global level that have already been taken. This second volume on risks assessment and the political and social dimension of the green energy transition is structured into 14 chapters. International renowned scholars discuss the inherent risks that arise in consequence of the transition to the intensive use of low carbon energy sources and global warming, risks related to food and water security, as well as risks of social and political conflicts. They further examine the dependence on individual countries' industrial structures and on their socio-economic development level as challenges to climate change solutions and to the global energy policy agenda. This book is a must-read for scholars, researchers and students, as well as policymakers interested in a better understanding of climate change, present scenarios, and alternative solutions and measures.

provides an overview of the limits to the circular economy, emphasising the relationship between integrated resource use and more systemic leadership-management approaches. provides a hands-on contribution toward building the knowledge and skill-sets of current and future decision-makers who face these complex-systemic crises in their day-to-day business. is essential reading for scholars and students of natural resource use, sustainable business, environmental economics and sustainable development, as well as decision-makers and experts from the fields of policy development, industry and civil society.

This text provides an analysis and investigation of the most essential areas of environmental theory and policy, including international environmental problems. The approach is based on standard theoretical tools, in particular equilibrium analysis, and aims to demonstrate how economic principles can help to understand environmental issues and guide policymakers. Current topics including climate change, overfishing and integrated approaches to environmental policies are carefully analyzed in this framework, and a multitude of practical examples from various parts of the world is presented.

Now in its third edition, Cost-Benefit Analysis has been updated, offering readers the perfect introduction to project, programme and policy appraisal using basic tools of financial and economic analysis. The key economic questions of any social cost-benefit analysis are: do the benefits of the project or policy exceed the costs, no matter how widely costs and benefits are spread, and irrespective of whether or not project impacts, such as environmental effects, are reflected in market prices? And which group or groups of individuals receive the benefits and which bear the costs? This book addresses these questions with an emphasis on putting the theory presented in the book into practice. This third edition has several attractive features: Readers are encouraged to develop their own skills by applying the tools and techniques of cost-benefit analysis to case studies and examples, including an analysis of a project which is developed throughout the book. The book emphasizes the use of spreadsheets which are invaluable in providing a framework for the cost-benefit analysis. A dedicated chapter provides guidance for writing up a report which summarises the analysis which has been undertaken. New pedagogical features, including Technical Notes and Examples, have been added as an aid to readers throughout the text. An appendix provides 14 additional case studies which can be developed in class or as assignment projects. Additional material for instructors and students is provided through Support Material maintained by Routledge. This updated edition is an ideal text for a course on cost-benefit analysis where the emphasis is on practical application of principles and equipping students to conduct appraisals. It is also a useful handbook for professionals looking for a logical framework in which to undertake their cost-benefit analysis work.

This book focuses on the global economy, oil industry, natural gas industry, hydrogen energy industry, wind power industry, and low-carbon market in the post-pandemic era of China and the whole world. It provides the overview of the China's energy economy development in 2021 and has an in-depth analysis of the future development trends of the oil and gas and new energy industries. It aims to present Chinese insights on the development of the energy industry of China and the world.

This book considers climate change from an economic and international policy perspective. It argues that an emissions trading systems (ETS) should first be adopted in all G20 countries with those national ETS then integrated into a global ETS. The topic of global warming is at the forefront of international discussions, especially given recent environmental policy changes in the US under Presidents Trump and Biden and the emergence of the Fridays For Future movement. Combatting climate change does not necessitate a trade-off between economic growth and climate policy provided that the latter is consistently linked to new economic policy. Policymakers should support innovation, effective redistribution policies and modern mobility concepts. Moreover, there are crucial links between financial market dynamics and price dynamics in ETS. If measures discussed here are coordinated effectively in the EU/G20, and at the global level, then climate neutrality could be achieved.

This textbook helps students to understand the social, economic, and environmental importance of the mutual relations between industries in the same and in different regions and nations and demonstrates how to model these relations using regional, interregional, and international input-output (IO) models. It enables readers to extend these basic IO models with endogenous household expenditures, to employ supply-use tables (SUTs) that explicitly distinguish the products used and sold by industry, and to use social accounting matrices (SAMs) that detail the generation, redistribution and spending of income. In addition to the standard demand-driven IO quantity model and its accompanying cost-push IO price model, the book also discusses the economic assumptions and usefulness of the supply-driven IO quantity model and its accompanying revenue-pull IO price model. The final chapters highlight three main applications of the IO model: (1) economic impact analysis of negative supply shocks as caused by, for example, natural disasters, (2) linkages, key sector, and cluster analysis, (3) structural decomposition analysis, especially of regional, interregional, and international growth, and demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of these IO applications. Written for graduate students of regional and spatial science as well as for economists and planners, this book provides a better understanding of the foundations, the power, the applicability and the limitations of input-output analysis. The second, completely revised edition expands on updating IO tables, modelling the disaster reconstruction phase, and includes an appendix on the necessary matrix algebra.

This open access book uses an interdisciplinary approach that not only focuses on social organization but also analyzes how societies and ecological settings were interwoven. How did early modern indigenous Sami inhabitants in interior northwest Fennoscandia build institutions for governance of natural resources? The book answers this question by exploring how they made decisions regarding natural resource management, mainly with regard to wild game, fish, and grazing land and illuminate how Sami users, in a changing economy, altered the long-term rules for use of land and water in a self-governance context. The early modern period was a transforming phase of property rights due to fundamental changes in Sami economy: from an economy based on fishing and hunting to an economy where reindeer pastoralism became the main occupation for many Sami. The book gives a new portrayal of how proficiently and systematically indigenous inhabitants organized and governed natural assets and how capable they were in building highly functioning institutions for governance.

Designed for business managers, environmental health and safety (EHS) personnel, and environmental engineers, this book can be used as a textbook or an industrial guidance reference on conducting environmental audits across all industries. It explains the audit process, from planning, to the actual audit, to the evaluation of results and necessary corrections. The primary emphasis is on condensing the numerous volumes of environmental laws, rules, and regulations into a brief and understandable series of questions. These audits also contain checklists for source reduction, waste minimization, reuse, and recycling before waste disposal. The audits will also encompass water, air, solid waste, remediation, chemical and petroleum bulk storage, and many health and safety requirements. Features: Includes a CD containing the USEPA multi-media checklists across all programs Condenses numerous volumes of environmental laws, rules, and regulations into an understandable series of questions Provides a supplement on how to deal with environmental regulatory inspectors

This book examines the need for greater legal coherence within international trade negotiations between the European Union (EU) and external trade relations. An introspective analysis of EU trade law and policy is presented that highlights the complex issue of EU unity. A particular focus is given to the Doha Round and the General Agreement on Trade in Services, with empirical analysis placing the negotiations not just within the context of international trade law, but also within broader social and political contexts. This book aims to provide an interdisciplinary understanding of the EU's international trade negotiations. It will be relevant to researchers and policy-makers interested in international trade and EU law.

This open access book examines the governance and legal landscape of the global commodity sector. For that purpose, the author conceptualises both Global Commodity Governance (GCG) as well as Transnational Commodity Law (TCL). He defines the key terms of Global Commodity Governance, delineates the underlying legal framework of Transnational Commodity Law, and assesses the effectiveness of Transnational Commodity Law in fostering a functional commodity sector. "Sustainable Commodity Use" is based on a comprehensive analysis of over 250 international agreements, standards, and guiding documents. The author distils the main findings into a conceptualisation of Transnational Commodity Law and provides the reader with a succinct overview of its normative configurations as well as regulatory gaps. Moreover, he elaborates a taxonomy of International Commodity Agreements. In addition, an outline of the normative substance of Transnational Commodity Law features in an appendix to the main text. The author concludes by making concrete suggestions on how rules regulating commodity activities de lege ferenda could and should be designed to improve the effectiveness of law regulating transnational commodity activity. In doing so, he demonstrates the application of the sustainable use principle as the overall objective and purpose of Transnational Commodity Law and discusses International Commodity Agreements as future regulatory instruments. This book may assist lawmakers, practitioners, civil society advocates, and academics worldwide in developing a legal framework for sustainable global commodity activity.

Taking stock of emerging planet data and analysing policies during the global crisis, Earth Economics provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to basic macroeconomic concepts, methods and principles, and their application to real world data.Written principally for students seeking an introduction to macroeconomics, this book offers a completely new angle to policy, with a focus on the truly global level. Underpinned by empirical orientation of state-of-the-art data, it introduces earth economics as the study of the economy of our planet from the perspective of an autarkic system (a 'closed economy'), focussing on policymaking that improves global rather than national welfare. Key features include: - A discourse on issues fundamental to the understanding of macroeconomics. - An introduction to economists' tools and concepts. Non-economists will learn how to survive in a discussion with economists: where to ask questions, where to listen, where to skip and where to ignore. - Presentation of extensive and wide-ranging data in a consistent and comprehensive framework. - In-depth treatment of key concepts including: aggregates, autarky, closed economies, current accounts, earth economics, data, macroeconomics, microeconomics, development and global public goods. - Provision of a thorough, working understanding of the subject matter via exercises set throughout the book, including: questions on the text, calculations, formulating arguments and preparation, analysis and interpretation of data and figures. See the companion website - www dot eartheconomics dot info for updates and additional information. Contents: Preface 1. Introduction: It is the Only One We Have 2. Planet Accounts Part I: Short-term Fluctuations and Demand Management 3. Earth's Business Cycle 4. Why I = S and What That Means: The Building Blocks of Macroeconomic Analysis 5. Investment, the IS Curve, and Product Market Equilibrium 6. What About Government? 7. Money Matters! The LM Curve and Money Market Equilibrium 8. Eartheconomic Demand and Supply 9. Puzzling Disagreements Part II: Long Run 10. Long-Run Growth 11. Development and Change 12. Limits to Growth? Part III: Earth Governance and Global Public Goods 13. Global Public Goods 14. Global Peers: An Agenda References Index

Alex Cowie As the twentieth century draws to a close, one of our greatest problems is the availability of energy. One way to study the energy problem is to resolve it into four areas: energy demand, energy sources, transportation of energy from sources to demand centers, and the optimal allocation of energy forms to demands. Each of these areas is extremely complex by itself. When efforts are made to tie them together, for example, to produce a National Policy, the complexities are compounded. Another way to study the energy problem, because of its political and social consequences, is to resolve it into geographical areas. Individual provinces of Canada or states of the United States will have their concerns about energy within their geographical boundaries. As producer, consumer, or both, each wants to ensure an energy development program which will work to the maximum benefit of its citizens. Similarly, countries endeavor to protect their citizens and undertake energy policies that will assure either a continuation of the existing quality of life or - particularly in the case of "Third World" countries - a marked improvement in quality of life. These competing and conflicting goals call for a study which encompasses the whole world. Again, complexity is piled upon complexity. If the prob lem is not yet sufficiently complex, there is an equally complex question of the effect of energy production and use on the ecology."

Managing Resource Abundance and Wealth: The Norwegian Experience describes the sundry and significant challenges, both economic and political, facing petroleum-producing countries. The volume outlines the pitfalls that policymakers encounter in the aftermath of a major resource discovery, and what they can do to protect their countries from the most adverse consequences. These lessons are derived from two very different sources: The broader-if still underdeveloped-social science literature that examines the 'Paradox of Plenty' in its disparate forms; and the experience of a country that has successfully managed its natural resources over several decades. As a small country on the margins of Europe, Norway has stood up to powerful international interests in one of the world's most powerful industries. Norway has exerted sovereign control over its natural environment, and exploited its resources in a way that has delivered significant wealth to its citizens. This volume explains how Norway has largely avoided the 'Paradox of Plenty'. It aims to demonstrate the variety of policy tools that are available to states rich in natural resources, and how these tools can be adjusted to changing (domestic and international) contexts. It considers a number of questions, such as how countries need to administer and regulate the industry to consider the costs and benefits associated with various contract and licensing regimes, and fiscal arrangements; to maintain competitiveness and avoid becoming too dependent upon the sector; to maximize local content; and to protect the broader economy from the volatility of petroleum prices. The volume shows how the industry can be managed in a democratic, just, and ethical manner, and for the benefit of the general population.

This book explains the role and limitations of liberalized international trade on the global environment and sustainable development. A distinguishing feature of this book is an integration of trade, environment, and development perspectives for operationally meaningful policy purposes. The topics include an analysis of the global trade regimes, their interrelationships with the existing multilateral environmental agreements, institutional mechanisms governed by the World Trade Organization, and a framework for pragmatic reforms.

This report takes a neutral and independent point of view in attempting to show concrete ways to achieve the goal of reducing CO2 emissions and limiting global warming to the 2-degree target. It presents an overall picture spanning all key countries. In the report, the temporal evolution of the main parameters is given from 1970 to 2011 for all regions of the world and all G-20 countries, starting from the basic data, gross domestic consumption. The parameters are then extrapolated to 2030, taking into account current trends, local factors and the requirements of the 2-degree climate target. An important basis is the structure of the current energy consumption and energy flows of all regions of the world and all G-20 countries, which is analyzed in the appendix in detail and reproduced as clearly as possible. The reports from climate science make it clear that with a greater level of warming, adaptation is the more expensive option. Compliance with the 2-degree climate target is a challenge, but not impossible. The book is intended not only for the scientific community but also for decision makers in government and industry.

This book provides a comparative overview of the environmental and resource problems experienced in the Nordic and Baltic regions. It considers policies to combat environmental challenges and evaluates future economic growth and economic integration between the region and Western Europe. Using eight country case studies, the contributors assess recent policies to address environmental problems in the region and examine the choice of policy instruments used in the various countries. They study the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Nordic countries of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland and consider the relationship between environmental policies of these and other European countries. In addition they also debate issues such as: * international environmental cooperation * environmental problems within the context of political debate * international financial assistance for environmental projects * comparative aspects of economic theory and policy concerning resources, the environment and economic growth Environmental Transition in Nordic and Baltic Countries will be welcomed by academics interested in environmental economics and transition economies as well as policymakers in governmental and non-governmental organizations.

This book is devoted to investigating the policy design and effectiveness of financial and market-based instruments to promote energy efficiency financing. The concept of this monograph is to present the latest results related to energy efficiency funding schemes, energy efficiency obligations, voluntary agreements, auction mechanisms, and Super Energy Services Companies (Super ESCOs) in major jurisdictions across the world. The book focuses on financial and market-based instruments as they deliver a price signal, which provides an incentive for firms to invest in innovation or implement more energy-efficient technologies and deliver energy savings while minimizing costs. Such instruments can have significant advantages for the government, supporting the fiscal sustainability of the government's energy efficiency efforts, requiring less enforcement than regulation and according the market flexibility to select the most cost-efficient technologies. This book is highly recommended to researchers, policy experts, and business specialists who seek an in-depth and up-to-date integrated overview of energy efficiency financing.

In 1962, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring sounded an alarm: the natural environment is being dangerously degraded because of human activity. Ever since, environmental protection has been a major societal concern. A robust system of environmental laws has emerged in the United States, commercial activities are increasingly scrutinized for their environmental impact, and communities around the world are becoming aware of the environment as a global issue requiring international attention. The most important evidence comes from the environment itself: the planet is warming, water supplies are at risk, ecosystems are under stress, and species are being lost at an unprecedented rate. Environmental Protection: What Everyone Needs to Know (R) provides accessible information that will help readers navigate this complex and highly relevant subject. It gives background information on the origins and development of environmental protection; introductions to the main elements of environmental protection with concrete examples; the context for understanding current issues; definitions of key terms; scientific, legal, and economic underpinnings; and discussion of hot-button current issues from nanopollution to climate change. The reader will gain familiarity with phenomena like biodiversity, the greenhouse effect, fugitive emissions, and algal blooms while learning about the impact of landmark policy initiatives like the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement.

This two-volume book offers a broad range of discussions on the immense challenge of climate change, one confronting every country on the planet and forcing them to find a path towards a sustainable future that will not have disastrous consequences in relation to our chances of survival. It also presents a snapshot of the status quo, which reflects all the decisions and measures taken to date. Analyzing the consequences of the steps that will shape our future, the two volumes also reflect on important decisions at a global level that have already been taken. In this first volume on green energy, decarbonization, and forecasting the green transition, respected international scholars analyze various technical aspects of and alternatives to the so-called "green energy transition," as well as measures intended to help reach the ambitious goal of net zero emissions within the next thirty years. Throughout the 13 chapters, the authors forecast future scenarios for the use of alternative energy sources. Additionally, the book discusses questions regarding the suitability of current measures and presents innovative alternatives that have remained largely overlooked. This book is a must-read for scholars, researchers and students, as well as policymakers interested in a better understanding of climate change, present scenarios, and alternative solutions and measures.

The most interesting issues in environmental and resource economics have an explicit temporal dimension, since variables of interest such as pollutants, greenhouse gases, biomass of biological resources, or the stocks of fossil fuels accumulate in the ambient environment or are depleted through human actions and natural processes.The purpose of these lectures is to present the mathematical tools for analyzing environmental and resource management issues in a dynamic set-up.The lectures include a brief description of differential equations and then move on to describe methods of optimal control, dynamic programing, and differential games. The final chapters cover two novel topics: (1) environmental issues characterized by deep uncertainty, and aversion to ambiguity using robust control methods and formulations of precautionary policies; and (2) the study of pollution/resource management in space and time when the environmental variables evolve in time and diffuse in space.The lectures are a valuable tool for advanced graduate students in environmental and resource economics who are studying dynamic problems.

Alex Cowie As the twentieth century draws to a close, one of our greatest problems is the availability of energy. One way to study the energy problem is to resolve it into four areas; energy demand, energy sources, transportation of energy from sources to demand centers, and the optimal allocation of energy forms to demands. Each of these areas is extremely complex by itself. When efforts are made to tie them together, for example, to produce a National Policy, the complexities are compounded. Another way to study the energy problem, because of its political and so cial consequences, is to resolve it into geographical areas. Individual prov inces of Canada or states of the United States will have their concerns about energy within their geographical boundaries. As producer, consumer, or both, each wants to ensure an energy development program which will work to the maximum benefit of its citizens. Similarly, countries endeavor to pro tect their citizens and undertake energy policies that will assure either a con tinuation of the existing quality of life or - particularly in the case of "Third World" countries - a marked improvement in quality of life. These competing and conflicting goals call for a study which encompasses the whole world. Again, complexity is piled upon complexity. If the prob lem is not yet sufficiently complex, there is an equally complex question of the effect of energy production and use on the ecology."

This book explores East Asia's and the Asia Pacific's energy security exploring key issues including major trans-border energy projects, major country's energy mix policy, trans- border pipelines, LNG transfer between nations, balance of power relations between major powers, the North Korean energy situation, energy alliances, Belt and Road Initiative, Indo-Pacific Strategy, World Choke point and more. In particular, this book provides the detailed analysis of the current problems of energy security and diplomacy among various countries as well as policy implications. It will clearly serve as a manual to enhance energy security in the region and boost energy transaction as well as the pioneering step to conceptualize the notion of energy security among political circles, in the diplomatic community and energy industry as well as international relations academics.