'The book is a pioneering attempt to see exactly what difference economic valuation of environmental effects would have made to six actual, on-going, development projects, if it had been done at the time of appraisal. It combines theoretical rigour with applied economic skills, presented with robust common sense.' - James Winpenny, Overseas Development Institute;This book is a practical and readable guide to valuing the environment and the implications for public investment and policy, useful for students as well as professional economists, policy-makers, engineers, environmental and social planners. It describes how the environment can be valued and how these valuation concepts can be applied to investment decisions.;The book provides first a general introduction to the key issues and concepts, considering the nature and magnitude of environmental problems, the cost-benefit method of evaluation and detailed methods for valuing the environment. It then analyses in detail six case-studies, based on actual or proposed major investment projects by the UK Overseas Development Administration or the World Bank. These include water quality in China, the supply of electricity in Bangladesh

Jointly published with INRA, Paris.
What will people eat in the future and how can the food requirements in terms of quantity and quality be met? This EU-based study elucidates the need for a productivity level that will make agriculture competitive on the market and yet is reconciled with the need to manage natural resources and lands wisely. In this book the necessary changes for European agriculture from the biological, medical, economic and political perspective are discussed.

This is a global survey and assessment of the structure, evolution, and performance of water institutions administration policies and regulatory practices in regional, national, and international settings. The coverage includes analysis and discussion of the rationale for institutional innovations, based on case study findings; specific suggestions for sustainable institutional design; and recommendations for implementing institutional reforms.

There are few innovations that have the potential to revolutionize commerce and have evolved so quickly that there remain significant misunderstandings about their operation, opportunity, and challenges as has Bitcoin in the dozen years since its invention. The potential for banking, transacting, and public recording of important records is profound, but can be displacing if not done with appropriate care, and is downright dangerous if certain pitfalls are not noted and avoided. Among other things, this book proves the existence of a Bitcoin dilemma that challenges the conventional wisdom which mistakenly asserts the incredibly intensive energy consumption in Proof-of-Work cryptocurrency mining will be remedied by more efficient mining machines or sustainable power sources. It shows for the first time within a well-specified economic model of Bitcoin mining that the recent runup in electricity consumption has a simple and inevitable explanation. For a coin with almost completely inelastic supply and steadily increasing demand, the conditions for accelerating electricity demand is consistent with economic theory and may well characterize the future of Bitcoin. The book also demonstrates the counterintuitive result that improvements in mining efficiency, in terms of electricity consumption per terahash of processing power, or decreases in electricity costs as cheaper sustainable energy is diverted to this industry, merely exacerbates the acceleration of energy consumption because of a prisoner's dilemma arms-race-to-the-bottom. The book proposes policy solutions to mitigate this Bitcoin dilemma but note that the mobility of industry capacity which needs but a ready supply of electricity and an Internet connection frustrates local regulation and warrants global solutions. The incredible opportunities of this industry will only be realized if our regulators, legislators, entrepreneurs, and general public garner a more complete and objective understanding of this and other Proof-of-Work mining techniques. The book provides this broader perspective based on the author's research as an economist, his position as a director of a large regional bank, his understanding as a technologist and as an environmental and sustainability researcher, and his public policy experience as a mayor who has also written books and articles about public policy and public finance.

The field of globalization and transport has witnessed a surge in interest over the past two decades with scholars questioning the reasoning behind its growth, its impact on the environment and trade as well as its effect on the development of cities and supply chain logistics. The editors have selected seminal works from leading academics to address these issues and outline the diverse and controversial nature of this subject.

California has a worldwide reputation as a pioneer of innovative policies for the control of air pollution by motor vehicles. Autos, Smog and Pollution Control analyses the difficulties which have been encountered in developing and implementing these policies. Professor Grant uses an analytical framework drawn from the leading theories of public policy formation, such as policy communities, to address the issues raised by California's policy making experience. This study shows how an ambitious attempt to encourage the use of electrically powered vehicles has faced technological constraints, consumer resistance and political opposition. Other policies developed in the state such as dealing with 'gross emitters', trip reduction programmes and the construction of light rail and subway systems are also critically examined. The concluding chapter relates Californian experience to the developing debate in Britain and the European Union about air pollution from motor vehicles. Autos, Smog and Pollution Control will be welcomed for its critical analysis of California's air pollution control policies as well as for the light which it sheds on contemporary theories of policy formation and the changing forces affecting environmental policymaking.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of groundwater uses and environmental issues in the Mekong Delta. It focuses on groundwater pollution and use, urban flooding, living with flood policy, and climate change-related adaptation measures. The Mekong Delta is facing these serious issues in the course of its development. This book uses economic analysis methods such as risk cost benefit analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, contingent valuation method, economic loss valuation, and multi criteria analysis to provide policy makers and researchers a better understanding of issues faced by sea level rise-impacted regions around the world and provide possible solutions. Students of environmental economics, economic valuation, and public policy can use this work to enhance their analytical skills.

Environmental Pricing is an interesting book containing a broad collection of chapters that discuss issues of relevance for environmental policymaking. The topics range from support for renewable energy and fossil fuels via environmental taxation to policies for water management. The book provides relevant information regarding the many issues covered, and some chapters will stimulate further debate.' - Nils Axel Braathen, Principal Administrator OECD, Environment Directorate'As someone who has been involved in speaking, disseminating knowledge and engaging with policymakers for the last couple of decades on environmental taxation I wholeheartedly support and endorse this collection of topical and informative papers . . . a fascinating insight into the latest thinking and research in the field and a highly valued reference source.' - Chas Roy-Chowdhury, The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK Environmental taxes can be efficient tools for successful environmental policy. Their use, however, has been limited in many countries. This thoughtful book explores the scope of environmental pricing and examines a variety of national experiences in environmental policy integration, to identify the most effective use of taxation and policy for environmental sustainability. Environmental taxes are seldom implemented in isolation and are applied in combination with other regulatory instruments. At issue is the critical lack of knowledge on how different policy instruments and taxes interact and work together. This perceptive book considers recent research on the environmental and economic impact of applying environmental taxes. Expert contributors come together to discuss the high potential for wider use of environmental taxation in combination with other policy instruments, and highlight key areas of current practice that must be addressed. Empirical studies of policy strategies are discussed to illustrate the extent to which current climate change policy is integrated against the proposed successful policy combinations that are presented in this insightful book. Environmental pricing will be of interest to scholars, practitioners and policymakers alike in the areas of environmental law, environmental economics and environmental sustainability. Contributors: M. Antenucci, K. Bachus, K. Bubna-Litic, J. Cottrell, E. Fonseca Capdevila, Enrique, M.A. Grau Ruiz, X. Guo, D.L. Jarvie, T. Kawakatsu, C. Kettner, M. Kicia, D. Kletzan-Slamanig, A. Koeppl, L. Kreiser, A. Lerch, Y. Mao, I. Mersinia, A. Pirlot, M. Rosenstock, S. Rudolph, H. Sprohge, F. Vanswijgenhoven, M. Villar Ezcurra, R.H. Weber, J. Wu

This is a practical book with clear descriptions of the most commonly used nonmarket methods. The first chapters of the book provide the context and theoretical foundation of nonmarket valuation along with a discussion of data collection procedures. The middle chapters describe the major stated- and revealed-preference valuation methods. For each method, the steps involved in implementation are laid out and carefully explained with supporting references from the published literature. The final chapters of the book examine the relevance of experimentation to economic valuation, the transfer of existing nonmarket values to new settings, and assessments of the reliability and validity of nonmarket values. The book is relevant to individuals in many professions at all career levels. Professionals in government agencies, attorneys involved with natural resource damage assessments, graduate students, and others will appreciate the thorough descriptions of how to design, implement, and analyze a nonmarket valuation study.

This book examines the changing roles and functions of the soybean throughout world history and discusses how this reflects the complex processes of agrofood globalization. The book uses a historical lens to analyse the processes and features that brought us to the current global configuration of soy. From its origins as a peasant food in ancient China, today the protein-rich soybean is by far the most cultivated biotech crop on Earth, used to make a huge variety of food and industrial products, including animal feed, tofu, cooking oil, soy sauce, biodiesel and soap. While there is a burgeoning amount of literature on how the contemporary global soy web affects large tracts of our planet’s social and ecological systems, little attention has been given to the questions of how we got here and what alternative roles the soybean has played in the past. This book fills this gap and demonstrates that it is impossible to properly comprehend the contemporary global soybean chain, or the wider agrofood system of which it is a part, without looking at both their long and short historical development. However, a history of the soybean and its changing roles within equally changing agrofood systems is inexorably a history about globalization. Not only does this book map out where soybeans are produced, but also who governs, wields power and accumulates capital in the entire commodity chain from production to consumption, as well as identifying the institutional context the global commodity chain operates within. The book concludes by considering the soybean’s future role in a desirable agrofood system which improves human health, culture and livelihoods, and the provision of ecosystem services. This book is essential reading for students and scholars interested in agriculture and food systems, global commodity chains, globalization, environmental history, economic history and social-ecological systems.

This book explores some of the complexities of decision-making under risk and uncertainty in environmental and natural resource economics. Risk and uncertainty are inherent problems for economists, and the authors in this volume offer numerous challenges and opportunities to improve the tools we use to assess these concepts. They begin by studying various environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity conservation to underline the importance of identifying different forms of uncertainty and irreversibility. They move on to consider the implications risk and uncertainty have on economic development and environmental policies, and study the attitudes of different user-groups to these issues. Finally, they examine the natural resource management dilemmas faced by the private sector including issues of optimal resource allocation, insurance problems and consumer behaviour. Presenting cutting-edge research on the management of the environment under risk and uncertainty, this book will interest and inform academics and researchers in the fields of environmental and resource economics, and decision-makers in governmental and non-governmental agencies. It will also be of value to economists who want to understand the importance of analysing the impact of risk and uncertainty on environmental and economic processes.

This study investigates the complex link between natural disasters, individual behaviour - in the form of an individual's risk-taking propensity and level of trust - and the demand for microinsurance. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of natural hazards and climate change as they affect their development processes and set back poverty reduction efforts. Using a unique data set for rural Cambodia based on a survey, experimental games and a discrete choice experiment, the study highlights the importance of perceptions, expectations and psychological factors in decision-making processes with substantial consequences for long-term economic perspectives and poverty alleviation.

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.

Many people have serious concerns about the environment and wonder whether solving environmental problems is compatible with continuing economic growth. This book provides an in-depth exploration of a proposed reform to the national tax system, whereby the burden of taxes is shifted from conventional taxes, such as those levied on labour and capital, to taxes on environmentally related activities, that involve resource use, particularly energy, or environmental pollution. There is some experience of such 'environmental tax reform' (ETR) in Europe, and the book briefly reviews this before considering how a more ambitious ETR in Europe could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and material flows through the economy, while stimulating innovation and investment in the key 'clean and green' sectors of the economy which seem likely to play an increasing part in the creation of prosperity in Europe and elsewhere in the future.
Case studies of renewable energy, construction, fuel-efficient vehicles, and waste management in Germany show how these fast-growing sectors are making an increasing contribution to employment, output, and exports in the German economy, while improving the environment. The book explores the implications of introducing it on a much wider scale throughout the European Union. A unique modelling exercise, using two macroeconomic models, delivers varied and complementary insights into the economic and environmental results of a large-scale ETR in Europe, and its effects on and implications for the rest of the world. The modelling suggests that such a policy has a key role in the achievement of Europe's targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, and, if implemented with cooperative policy in other countries, could significantly reduce global emissions.
The book is essential and hopeful reading for anyone who has wondered how, with today's intensifying environmental challenges, economic growth could become more environmentally sustainable.

In 2005, The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) provided the first global assessment of the world's ecosystems and ecosystem services. It concluded that recent trends in ecosystem change threatened human wellbeing due to declining ecosystem services. This bleak prophecy has galvanized conservation organizations, ecologists, and economists to work toward rigorous valuations of ecosystem services at a spatial scale and with a resolution that can inform public policy.
The editors have assembled the world's leading scientists in the fields of conservation, policy analysis, and resource economics to provide the most intensive and best technical analyses of ecosystem services to date. A key idea that guides the science is that the modelling and valuation approaches being developed should use data that are readily available around the world. In addition, the book documents a toolbox of ecosystem service mapping, modeling, and valuation models that both The Nature Conservancy and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are beginning to apply around the world as they transform conservation from a biodiversity only to a people and ecosystem services agenda. The book addresses land, freshwater, and marine systems at a variety of spatial scales and includes discussion of how to treat both climate change and cultural values when examining tradeoffs among ecosystem services.

This book aims to incorporate an emerging successful business model, i.e., sharing economy, into energy markets, thus digging out the potential merits and applications in multi-energy sectors. With the core idea "access over ownership", sharing economy enables the collaborative consumption of idle resources through advanced information and communications technology. One critical challenge is to identify different market participants' occupation while accordingly designing pricing mechanisms. This book begins with an overview about the recent development of sharing economy in energy fields, and summarizes two energy market-related issues that sharing economy can hopefully address. One is how to quantify a marginal generator's contribution and thereby elicit truthful bidding under information asymmetry condition. The other is how to distinguish renewable and distributed energy resources' contribution and thus incentivize efficient aggregation considering increasing scale and uncertainty. Then sharing economy mechanisms are proposed and designed from a game theory perspective. On this basis, the following chapters thoroughly investigate the specific problems in spot markets, multi-area markets, renewable energy aggregation and energy systems integration. Additionally, the benefits brought by sharing economy are evaluated in terms of regional market bidding and transmission expansion deferral. Finally, the information and communications technologies related to sharing economy are modeled and analyzed. Hopefully, this book can greatly benefit the readers who are interested in energy economics and engineering.

This book explores the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of the global mining sector and local communities by focusing on a number of international cases drawn from various locations in Canada, the Philippines and Scandinavia. Mining's contribution to economic development varies greatly across countries. In some, it has been a major engine of development, but in others, disputes have erupted over land use, property rights, environmental damage, and revenue sharing. Corporate social responsibility programs are increasingly relied upon to manage company-community relations, yet conflicts persist in many settings, with significant costs for companies and communities. Exploring the many factors and drivers that characterise relationships among different actors within the sector, the volume contributes towards the development of practical wisdom, collective understanding, common sense, and prudence required for the mining sector and community partners to realize the economic potential and social and environmental responsibilities of non-renewable resource development. The book examines case studies from Canada, Scandinavia and the Philippines, three regions amongst the world's top countries of mining operations. Drawing on their extensive experience in these regions, the contributors explore distinctive mining sectors in the Global North and South, the variation surrounding different types of extractive industries, and at different scales, and the legal processes in place to protect local communities. Key themes include corporate social responsibility, impact assessment, foreign ownership, Indigenous Peoples, gender, local insurgency and mining disasters as well as climate change. The book identifies areas of future research and pathways to achieving stronger, respectful and mutually beneficial relationships at the nexus of global mineral extraction and local communities. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of the extractive industries, natural resource management, sustainable business and corporate social responsibility, Indigenous studies, and sustainable planning and development.

This Handbook assembles new contributions from influential authors such as Herman Daly, Paul Ekins, Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Jeroen van den Bergh, William E. Rees, Peter Bartelmus and Tim Jackson, who have helped define our understanding of growth and sustainability, as well as new thinking on topics such as degrowth, the debt-based financial system, cultural change, energy return on investment, shorter working hours and employment, and innovation and technology. Explorations of these issues can deepen our understanding of whether growth is sustainable and, in turn, whether a move away from growth can be sustained. With issues such as climate change looming large, our understanding of growth and sustainability is critical. This Handbook offers a broad range of perspectives that can help the reader decide: growth? Sustainability? Both? Or neither? Contributions are drawn from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives including economics, sociology, political science, philosophy, engineering and journalism, placing the work of established luminaries alongside emerging scholars who offer fresh new perspectives. A special section dedicated to exploring 'growth imperatives' that make transitioning away from economic growth difficult is provided, and the book includes a focus on cultural change and economic growth. Scholars, students and practitioners interested in ecological economics, sustainability and environmental studies will all find much of value in this multifaceted and comprehensive volume. Contributors: P. Bartelmus, B. Bartkowski, H.S. Brown, H. Daly, B. Dolter, P. Ekins, K.-H. Erb, M. Fischer-Kowalski, T. Green, H. Haberl, M. Hadjikakou, C. Hall, A. Hayden, T. Jackson, G. Kallis, A. Levy, R. Matthais, J. Meadowcroft, M. Paez-Victor, S. Pressman, S. Quilley, W. Rees, H. Schindler, F. Schneider, R. Scott, F. Sekulova, J. Steinberger, S. Strunz, P. Timmerman, J. Van Den Bergh, P.J. Vergragt, P.A Victor, T. Wiedmann

Environmental conflicts over sustainability, environmental impact assessment (EIA), biodiversity, biotechnology and risk, chemicals and public health, are not necessarily legalistic problems but land use problems. Edward Christie shows how solutions for these conflicts can be found via consensual agreement using an approach that integrates law, science and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and reframes the role of law and science. This book assesses the key unifying principles of environmental and administrative law in Australia, the UK/EU and USA, together with accepted scientific concepts for environmental management and protection. By doing so it provides a cross-disciplinary approach to collaborative problem-solving and decision-making, using ADR processes to resolve environmental conflicts, and will be valuable to environmental professionals. The book also promotes the use of Indigenous traditional knowledge for resolving conflicts over sustainability, biodiversity and the EIA process. The book has been written to meet the requirements of any environmental professional - lawyer, scientist, engineer, planner - who directly, or indirectly, may be involved in development or planning conflicts when the environment is an issue. For the lawyer, this book, with its focus on understanding and integrating unifying legal principles and scientific concepts, consolidates opportunities for assessing and resolving environmental conflicts by negotiation. For the environmental professional, the book provides opportunities for managing environmental conflicts. In addition, opportunities are identified for resolving environmental conflicts by negotiation, but in quite specific situations i.e. when the interpretation and application of questions of law are not in issue and only factual (scientific) issues are in dispute. It will of course be of great interest to academics and researchers of environmental studies and environmental law. It will also appeal to the Indigenous community, environmental groups and local communities who are seeking more direct and effective inputs into finding sustainable solutions for environmental conflicts.

The analysis of the relationship between transport and environmental policy invites an interdisciplinary treatment and a variety of approaches, and rightly so. An important subset of the approaches used involves economic analysis. Economic approaches often consider pricing policies, attempting to evaluate their effectiveness in comparison with more traditional measures such as command and control' regulation and directed technological innovation. Another important subset of approaches involves simulation modelling, where key relationships are presented mathematically so that their influence can be quantified and their interrelationships discerned precisely. This book treats the intersection of these two subsets: simulation models with a strong economic content. This intersection defines a broad but powerful way to study environment and transport. Its breadth is illustrated by the wide range of policies treated here, from carbon taxes to speed limits. Its power derives from the way insights into interrelated actions and the role of markets - the strong points of economic theory - are cast into a form suitable for making quantitative predictions about the results of policies. Case studies are used to show how simulation models can be designed and used to quantify the effectiveness of economic policies in terms of transport systems management and environmental protection, the emphasis being on the role of the markets in tracing the many effects that policies have, both anticipated and otherwise.

After numerous scienti?c papers and books on most aspects of climate change and the design of pro-environmental policies (including some that suit some industrial lobby or another), is there relevance for another book and what is the purported role of this one? Is this yet another academic exercise or "much ado about nothing"? Do we have to bother designing green economic policies and incur transaction costs of this effort? Are there shortcomings of existing policies if we care to live "happily" on this planet? Is it not enough to care for the current generations so that the future generations can take care of themselves (or even be given the incentives for in- vations - for lack of fully provided resources)? What can "we" do about the green economic policies (and what are these anyway)? What trade-offs, if any, are re- vant in foregoing some bene?ts and in incurring some costs (not all of which can be expressed in monetary units)? What are the overarching objectives and priorities in the current context? What economic and other approaches are relevant for atta- ing the objectives? These are some of the questions the author re?ected in writing this book.

Drawing on the work of leading researchers and practitioners from a range of disciplines, including economic geography, economics, economic history, finance, law, and public policy, this edited collection provides a comprehensive assessment of stranded assets and the environment, covering the fundamental issues and debates, including climate change and societal responses to environmental change, as well as its origins and theoretical basis. The volume provides much needed clarity as the discourse on stranded assets gathers further momentum. In addition to drawing on scholarly contributions, there are chapters from practitioners and analysts to provide a range of critical perspectives. While chapters have been written as important standalone contributions, the book is intended to systematically take the reader through the key dimensions of stranded assets as a topic of research inquiry and practice. The work adopts a broad based social science perspective for setting out what stranded assets are, why they are relevant, and how they might inform the decision-making of firms, investors, policymakers, and regulators. The topic of stranded assets is inherently multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral, and multi-jurisdictional and the volume reflects this diversity. This book will be of great relevance to scholars, practitioners and policymakers with an interest in include economics, business and development studies, climate policy and environmental studies in general.

This book focuses on carbon dioxide and its global role in our everyday life. Starting with society's dependency on energy, it demonstrates the various sources of carbon dioxide and discusses the putative effects of its accumulation in the atmosphere and its impact on the climate. It then provides an overview of how we can reduce carbon dioxide production and reviews innovative technologies and alternative energy resources. The book closes with a perspective on how carbon dioxide can be utilized reasonably and how mimicking nature can provide us with a solution. Using simple language, this book discusses one of today's biggest challenges for the future of our planet in a way that is understandable for the general public. The authors also provide deep insights into specific issues, making the book a useful resource for researchers and students.

This topical and engaging Handbook brings together cutting edge research on the relationship between happiness and the natural environment. With interdisciplinary contributions from top scholars, it explores the role of happiness research as a new approach to environmental social science, illustrating the critical links between human wellbeing, happiness and the environment. Addressing key environmental issues that impact happiness, the book examines: climate change and extreme weather events, air pollution, noise, odour, access to green space, and the importance of green lifestyles. This wide range of environmental concerns is analysed through the lens of differing cultural backgrounds, exploring the importance of different forms of human interaction with the environment globally, as well as its effects. Environmental economics and sociology scholars will find the key case studies discussed particularly useful in assessing different cultural, political and regional approaches to the topic. It will also be an interesting read for policy-makers looking to better understand how the environment affects human happiness and wellbeing. Contributors include: M. Ahmadiani, M. Berlemann, F. Brereton, L. Bruni, X. Chen, C.A. Coral-Guerrero, S. Ferreira, H. Folmer, B.S. Frey, D. Fujiwara, F. Garcia-Quero, I. Gramatki, J. Guardiola, P. Howley, B.A. Jones, K. Kagohashi, S. Kant, K. Keohane, C. Krekel, K. Laffan, R. Lawton, A. Levinson, G. MacKerron, D. Maddison, S. Managi, M. Moro, S. Mourato, A. Oswald, J. Regner, K. Rehdanz, H. Ren, T. Ruckelshauss, J. Tang, T. Tsurumi, J. Tutt, R. Veenhoven, I. Vertinsky, H. Welsch, X. Zhang, X. Zhang, B. Zheng

In this study, the author constructs a systematic statistical framework for studying the environment and technology, the economy and society, and performs a series of analyses of the impact of human activities on the environment. The many topics analyzed include: energy consumption, resource use, water and air pollution, technology, recycling, and pollution prevention. From the theoretical perspective, Environmental Options: Accounting for Sustainability provides not only a model at the global level, but also at the level of individual industries, and for various social groups. Of equal significance, the framework also allows international linkages to be examined. The proposed framework will serve as a common yardstick in formulating environment policy in both developed and less developed countries, setting the standard for further international cooperation.