This book presents provides a rigorous yet accessible treatment of the main topics in climate change policy using a large body of research generated using WITCH (World Induced Technical Change Hybrid), an innovative and path-breaking integrated assessment model.The authors give a particular emphasis to the analysis of technological change necessary to build low-carbon economies. The WITCH model can track all of the actions which impact the level of mitigation - such as R&D expenditures, investments in carbon-free technologies and adaptation, purchases of emission permits, or expenditures for carbon taxes - thus allowing for the evaluation of equilibrium responses stimulated by different climate policy tools. The chapters examine various questions to explore the future of climate change policy. Why is it so hard to achieve a global agreement that paves the way to widespread reductions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions? What are the technologies that would deliver clean energy without harming economic growth? And finally, how does uncertainty about future policies and future technologies affect choices in the present? This innovative book will appeal to researchers, policy makers and academics interested in climate change policy. Contributors: V. Bosetti, C. Carraro, E. De Cian, T. Longden, E. Massetti, L. Nicita, F. Sferra, A. Sgobbi, M. Tavoni

This book explores the impacts of current mining licensing regimes in Africa and how they influence sustainable development principles. International law and conventions on mining are used as a lens to examine a regionalized perspective of the history of mining law and customary land law. Alternative approaches are then suggested, through a comparative and sovereignty-based study of mining laws and policies, to see how the challenge of uneven development can be combatted using minerals. This book aims to highlight how mineral possessions can transform communities if the economic policies, customary law structures, and the geopolitical landscape guarantee inclusivity and equal partnerships. It will be relevant to researchers and policymakers interested in mineral economics, mining law, and African economies.

Energy policies play a pivotal part in helping countries achieve their sustainable development goals. Further, energy is one of the critical raw materials in companies' production processes. Therefore, ensuring a steady energy supply is essential to increasing production; otherwise, countries will inevitably slide into recession. In this context, countries should select their energy policies on the basis of a comprehensive analysis. In order to achieve this goal, many different factors must be considered at the same time.The aim of this book is to determine the right energy policies for the sustainable economic development of countries. In this framework, effective strategies for different types of energy will be presented and vital issues such as determining the right locations for nuclear power plants, providing optimal government incentives to increase clean energy investments, and determining appropriate energy policies to reduce energy dependence will be examined. Thus, country-specific optimal energy policies will be outlined, contributing to the achievement of the UN's sustainable development goals (SDG).

This book aims to solve some key problems in the decision and optimization procedure for power market organizers and participants in data-driven approaches. It begins with an overview of the power market data and analyzes on their characteristics and importance for market clearing. Then, the first part of the book discusses the essential problem of bus load forecasting from the perspective of market organizers. The related works include load uncertainty modeling, bus load bad data correction, and monthly load forecasting. The following part of the book answers how much information can be obtained from public data in locational marginal price (LMP)-based markets. It introduces topics such as congestion identification, componential price forecasting, quantifying the impact of forecasting error, and financial transmission right investment. The final part of the book answers how to model the complex market bidding behaviors. Specific works include pattern extraction, aggregated supply curve forecasting, market simulation, and reward function identification in bidding. These methods are especially useful for market organizers to understand the bidding behaviors of market participants and make essential policies. It will benefit and inspire researchers, graduate students, and engineers in the related fields.

This book illustrates two approaches for firms to shape successful circular strategies, namely, the Circular Economy and Circular Districts. The former considers firms' challenges when turning theoretical circular models into practice. Thus, it discusses the opportunities and difficulties in reshaping corporate strategies by reflecting on circular economy principles. The latter approach plays a new role within the new economy systems and this book conceptualizes and operationalizes its definition. The circular district can represent an effective way to accelerate the energy transition process by developing industrial collaborations and exploiting technology synergies to enhance circularity and achieve economic, environmental, and social targets. The book highlights how firms should adjust their strategic thinking, redesign their network of relationships, and reconsider the value creation process when the circular economy is a concrete option. Furthermore, it examines the evolution from circular economy to circular districts by revealing the motivations that push firms and supply chains to redesign their strategies by considering the perspective of a circular district. The book ends by analyzing business experiences in these two areas and proposes advancements for both the scientific community and the business world. The book offers a blend of theoretical frameworks and practical applications and will be of particular interest to scholars in the fields of sustainable operations, closed-loop supply chain, green supply chain management, and circular supply chains. Also, the operationalization of the concept of circular districts, offers a genuine and original theoretical contribution, thus targeting students from Executive programs, MBA programs, and PhD programs. The book will also attract managers, practitioners and professionals interested in real-world cases and experiences as well as practical developments in the domain.

This book combines energy economics and big data modeling analysis in energy conversion and management and comprehensively introduces the relevant theories, key technologies, and application examples of the smart energy economy. With the help of time series big data modeling results, energy economy managers develop reasonable and feasible pricing mechanisms of electricity price and improve the absorption capacity of the power grid. In addition, they also carry out scientific power equipment scheduling and cost-benefit analysis according to the results of data mining, so as to avoid the loss caused by accidental damage of equipment. Energy users adjust their power consumption behavior through the modeling results provided and achieve the effect of energy saving and emission reduction while reasonably reducing the electricity expenditure. This book provides an important reference for professionals in related fields such as smart energy, smart economy, energy Internet, artificial intelligence, energy economics and policy.

Most people love nature and consider themselves environmentalists, but nature isn't just pretty and lovable, it is indispensable to our survival and economic activity. That is the most compelling reason for environmental protection. The conventional economic wisdom views land (natural capital) as a small part of the economy, along with capital, labor, technology and so on. The authors argue that this is backwards: that the economy nests within the environment (land) and not the other way around. The authors give a brief history of the origins of conventional economic wisdom and critique it from a the standpoint of ecological economics. They explain what natural capital -our life support system - is and does, and describe the severe strains that have been put on it. They conclude with some policy options, such as green taxes and suggestions for personal action that would conserve natural capital and thus make conserve resources for present and future generations. Natural Capital and Human Economic Survival is written for environmentalists, environmental studies majors and anyone concerned about the flaws of mainstream economics - how it has led us into unsustainable ways of living - and who would like to learn about alternatives that are more sustainable.

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."

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 book argues that groundwater pollution risk assessment is the essential foundation of groundwater pollution prevention and control. It is on this basis that economic leverage is used to make new breakthroughs in groundwater protection and governance. Presenting a case study on the Jilin Section of the Songhua River, the book applies the overlay index method to assess the shallow groundwater pollution risk and identify high-risk areas and major pollution sources in an effort to identify the mechanism of interaction between industrial structures and groundwater pollution. Further, it proposes concrete measures for preventing and controlling groundwater pollution from an industrial economics perspective. As such, the book offers a valuable resource for all graduate students, lecturers and researchers who are interested in learning about resources and environmental economics.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the adoption of small-scale residential solar photovoltaic systems (RSPSs) in Saudi Arabia. Focusing on the current technological development of RSPSs, it discusses elements of socio-technical governance theories and energy policy analysis. It also identifies the critical factors that affect Saudi residents' decisions to adopt this new technology and analyzes broader energy systems on a state level by investigating factors that shape RSPSs integration policies. This multi-faceted, interdisciplinary book paves the way for an integrated transition management policy design model to stimulate RSPSs adoption rates. Given its scope, it is a valuable resource for readers seeking an in-depth and up-to-date integrated overview of the ever-expanding theoretical and quantitative fields of socio-technical transitions and the transition to sustainability.

This book investigates how extractive capitalism has developed over the past three decades, what dynamics of resistance have been deployed to combat it, and whether extractivism can ever be transformed into being a part of a progressive development path. It was not until the 21st century that the extraction of natural resources and raw materials took on a decidedly capitalist form, with the global north extracting primary commodities from the global south as a means of capital accumulation. This book investigates whether extractivism, despite its well-documented negative and destructive socioenvironmental impacts and the powerful forces of resistance that it has generated, could ever be transformed into a sustainable post-development strategy. Drawing on diverse sectoral forms of extractivism (mining, fossil fuels, agriculture), this book analyses the dynamics of both the forces of resistance generated by the advance of extractive capital and alternate scenarios for a more sustainable and liveable future. The book draws particularly on the Latin American experience, where both the propensity of capitalism towards crisis and the development of resistance dynamics to 'extractive' capital have had their greatest impact in the neoliberal era. This book will be of interest to researchers and students across development studies, economics, political economy, environmental studies, indigenous studies, and Latin American affairs.

Environmental finance and green banking are central drivers of the transition to a sustainable economy and essential components in solutions to climate change. This book presents the latest research on theory and practices in these interdisciplinary fields, incorporating both public and corporate finance. It introduces three parts - environmental investing and financing, green banking and environmental policies in the public sector. The book explores the current trends, dynamics and ways forward for environmental finance and green banking, including fundamental theories (e.g., environmental Kuznets curve) and comparisons between traditional and green bond efficiency, corporate governance practices and disclosure, green central banking, climate finance, sustainable strategies, green Islamic banking, and public climate fund management in multi-country context. The contributors to this book highlight significant challenges ahead while recognizing potential opportunities, such as the revolution in green investments and trading in green bonds. This book is a welcome addition to the literature on environmental economics and finance and the economics of sustainability and climate change.

This book is a compilation of selected papers from the Fourth International Technical Symposium on Deepwater Oil and Gas Engineering & The Third International Youth Forum on Gas Hydrate, held in Qingdao, China in December 2021. The work focuses on the advancement of techniques for the deepwater oil and gas exploitation and natural gas hydrate exploitation. The book introduces new ideas for exploring deepwater oil and gas hydrate in a safe and efficient way. Advances of the natural gas hydrate pilot production in South China Sea, in oil and gas flow assurance and emerging technologies based on clathrate hydrate will be presented. It is a valuable resource for both practitioners and academics working in the field of deepwater oil and gas engineering.

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."

In keeping with the Water Framework Directive, this book stresses the need for an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to balance the competing demands for water among the domestic, agricultural, industrial, tourist, and environmental/ecological sectors. The IWRM also promotes economically efficient, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable water use in selected regions in Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the developing world. Research results discussed in this book demonstrate that effective water management tools and decision-making practices are needed to support interventions to increase availability and manage the growing demand for scarce water supplies. Furthermore, the book bridges the gap between ideas and actions endorsed in the research-oriented environmental debate and their translation into policymaking structures and programs in developed and developing countries.

This book is the result of over ten years of field research across Zambia. It covers the production and diverse uses of wood and non-wood forest products in different parts of Zambia. Although a short format, it is a multi-contributed work. It starts an overview of the forestry sector, and covers more specific areas like production, markets and trade of wood and non-wood products; the role of non-wood forest products in the livelihood of the local population, the contribution of the forestry sector to Zambia's overall economy and reviews of efforts to strategically utilize these resources for local economic, and sustainable, development.

Global institutions are afflicted by severe democratic deficits, while many of the major problems facing the world remain intractable. Against this backdrop, we develop a deliberative approach that puts effective, inclusive, and transformative communication at the heart of global governance. Multilateral negotiations, international organizations and regimes, governance networks, and scientific assessments can be rendered more deliberative and democratic. More thoroughgoing transformations could involve citizens' assemblies, nested forums, transnational mini-publics, crowdsourcing, and a global dissent channel. The deliberative role of global civil society is vital. We show how different institutional and civil society elements can be linked to good effect in a global deliberative system. The capacity of deliberative institutions to revise their own structures and processes means that deliberative global governance is not just a framework but also a reconstructive learning process. A deliberative approach can advance democratic legitimacy and yield progress on global problems such as climate change, violent conflict and poverty.

Fossil fuels will remain the backbone of the global energy economy for the foreseeable future. The contribution of nuclear energy to the global energy supply is also expected to increase. With the pressing need to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the fossil energy industry is exploring the possibility of carbon dioxide disposal in geological media. Geological disposal has been studied for decades by the nuclear industry with a view to ensuring the safe containment of its wastes. Geological disposal of carbon dioxide and that of radioactive waste gives rise to many common concerns in domains ranging from geology to public acceptance. In this respect, comparative assessments reveal many similarities, ranging from the transformation of the geological environment and safety and monitoring concerns to regulatory, liability and public acceptance issues. However, there are profound differences on a broad range of issues as well, such as the quantities and hazardous features of the materials to be disposed of, the characteristics of the targeted geological media, the site engineering technologies involved and the timescales required for safe containment at the disposal location. There are ample opportunities to learn from comparisons and to derive insights that will assist policymakers responsible for national energy strategies and international climate policies.

Drawing on more modern expressions of economic analysis, this book explores the interplay between wellbeing, nature and moral values in economics. In standard accounts of economics, these three themes are typically treated in isolation from each other, or else overlooked entirely. This book argues that due to this blinkered approach, standard economic analysis is poorly equipped to deal with global contemporary challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, sustainability, and the risk of pandemic diseases. The book reviews the economic literature to show that the last few decades has seen the re-insertion into economic analysis of human wellbeing, natural resources and moral values: three themes present in early economic thought that are highly relevant to the challenges ahead. The book argues for the greater integration of these three themes as the natural environment is crucial to human wellbeing, and moral values are essential for environmentally benign behaviors. The book also focuses on how specific moral values, identified by contemporary moral psychology, actually shape economic behavior rather than how abstract ethical principles they should shape economic behavior. The book will be of significant interest to readers in the economics and social sciences, particularly behavioral economics and social psychology.

This book compiles and explains technical terms in sustainable finance in an easy-to-navigate A-Z format. The interdisciplinary nature of sustainable finance means that those researching and working in the field often have to turn to a variety of different sources to look up various non-financial terms. Recognizing this issue, Ibrahim Sancak and Elisa Aracil have curated a comprehensive list of the key terms most commonly used in the field. Each entry maps out an important concept or idea and illustrates how it relates more broadly across this growing discipline, such as the changes and innovations required by the financial sector to meet the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. Overall, Essential Concepts of Sustainable Finance will enable readers to communicate more effectively about finance within the context of sustainability. With related terms and further reading included alongside the entries, this innovative and accessible volume will be of great interest to students, scholars and practitioners alike.

A fresh and up-to-date discussion of Russia's manifold environmental crises, using the results of an elite survey and a framework based on the civil society literature. I believe this is the best treatment of its subject that is presently available and, given Russia's enormous territorial extent, it is a study that has important implications for everyone who has any concern for the future of Planet Earth.' - Stephen White, University of Glasgow, UKIn recent years, international, inter-governmental entities have acknowledged the importance of civil society for engaging stakeholders in environmental change, especially at the local community level, and in promoting democracy. In Russia, efforts by NGOs to promote reform since the fall of the Soviet Union have been aimed at achieving both objectives. This fascinating and highly illuminating book explores the political, legal, and attitudinal barriers to environmental reform in Russia since 1991. The authors, renowned experts in the field, explore efforts to develop a mature civil society in Russia, and analyze the policy views of environmental groups, the media, and the scientific community. Three important case studies underpin the study: suspended plans to build an oil pipeline near Lake Baikal; management of Cold War-generated radioactive waste at Chelyabinsk; and public reaction to the introduction of genetically modified foods. The conclusion is that although civil society groups face obstacles in the form of apathy, state-imposed constraints on their activities, and agency reluctance to confer on decisions, there are some successes in reversing decisions due in part to NGO pressures yielding reform. This path-breaking book will be of enormous interest to scholars, researchers and students focusing on comparative environmental policy and politics, contemporary public policy in Russia, and international politics. Contents: 1. Civil Society, Environment, and Russian Politics Post-1991 2. Russia s Environmental Challenges and their Management 3. Environmental Civil Society through Russian Eyes: Stakeholder Views 4. Case Studies and their Insights into Civil Society Growth: Chelyabinsk, Lake Baikal, and Genetically Modified Food 5. Interpreting Civil Society: Challenges, Change, and Environmental Significance 6. Conclusions: The Bas, the Good, and the Uncertain References

Through analysis of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), this book demonstrates how to use a variety of econometric techniques to analyze the evolving and expanding carbon markets sphere, techniques that can be extrapolated to the worldwide marketplace. It features stylized facts about carbon markets from an economics perspective, as well as covering key aspects of pricing strategies, risk and portfolio management.

In this book, leading experts take a long-term view of the trends and policies of most relevance in achieving the structural readjustment required by the current crisis, which for too long has been viewed merely as an economic recession. A wide variety of issues are addressed, including the implications of the massive movement of wealth from advanced countries to emerging ones and the increasing income inequality evident within many countries. Prospects for growth toward the mid-century and beyond are discussed, with consideration of lessons from the past and the impact of various constraints, including corruption. The policies and reforms required to restore economic dynamism within the EU and more generally, to foster the "Good Economy" are discussed, recognizing the need for measures to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, well-being and high levels of environmental performance. The book comprises a selection of contributions presented at the XXV Villa Mondragone International Economic Seminar. For the past quarter of a century, this seminar has brought together leading experts to engage in debates on pressing economic questions. This book, based on the most recent gathering, will be of interest to all who are concerned about the challenges to growth, well-being and social inclusion that will have to be confronted in the coming decades.

Operations Research Management Science approaches have helped people for the last 40 years to understand the complex functioning of the systems based upon natural resources, as well as to manage natural resources in the most efficient manner. The areas usually viewed within the natural resources field are: agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mining and water resources. All of these areas share the common problem of optimally allocating scarcity over a period of time. The scale of time or length of the planning horizon differs from one area to another. We have almost a continuous renewal in the case of the fisheries, periodic cycles in the case of agriculture and forestry and enormous periods of time much beyond the human perception in the case of mining resources. But in all the cases, the critical issue is to obtain an efficient use of the resource along its planned time horizon.

Another element of connection among the different natural resources is due to the interaction between the use of the resource and the environmental impact caused by its extraction or harvest. This type of interaction implies additional complexities in the underlying decision-making process, making the use of OR/MS tools especially relevant.

HANDBOOK OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN NATURAL RESOURCES will be the first systematic handbook treatment of quantitative modeling natural resource problems, their allocated efficient use, and societal and economic impact. AndrA(c)s Weintraub is the very top person in Natural Resource research. Moreover, he has an international reputation in OR and a former president of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (IFORS). He has selectedco-editors who are at the top of the sub-fields in natural resources: agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mining. The book will cover these areas in terms with contributions from researchers on modeling natural research problems, quantifying data, developing algorithms, and discussing the benefits of research implementations. The handbook will include tutorial contributions when necessary. Throughout the book, technological advances and algorithmic developments that have been driven by natural resource problems will be called out and discussed.