Decision-makers increasingly seek to design environmental and development policies that will support sustainable development. Thus, practical tools to help formulate sustainable development policies and clear methods to assess their acceptability and effectiveness are urgently needed. This book contributes to meeting these needs by presenting both analytical and empirical aspects of decision-making processes. The authors explore the methods for integrating environmental and social sciences to support participatory policy design, implementation and assessment of sustainable development policies. These methods are applied, richly illustrated and discussed with reference to several case studies from various regions of the world. Although each chapter has a distinct focus, they all contribute to a clearer understanding of how sustainable development is perceived and assessed by society. The book is interdisciplinary, emphasising how the integration of a wide set of disciplines and stakeholder perspectives into the policy-making process can help to improve the perception of sustainable development policies. The authors argue that there should be greater transparency in the processes of modelling and integrated assessment in order to increase the meaningful participation of all stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. By deliberately avoiding technical jargon, this book will appeal to a broad audience including environmental, resource and development economists. It will also be of interest to anyone with a scientific or policy perspective in the measurement and assessment of sustainable development.

This companion volume to Economic Instruments for Environmental Management presents essential information on the applications of economic valuation to environment and development. It draws on a three-year collaborative effort by research institutions around the world. Authoritative studies review the range of valuation methods used in developing economies, their purposes, the problems encountered and the quality of the results. Topics covered include the value of wildlife viewing, the conservation of rainforests, mangroves and coral reefs, supplying rural water, and controlling urban air pollution. The analysis reveals important methodological and contextual factors, highlighting key lessons and ways of strengthening future valuations. Written to be accessible to non-economists, the book provides source material for students and academics, and for policy-makers and professionals, using valuation methods to frame policy.

This volume presents the results of a three-year collaborative effort involving research institutions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Case studies demonstrate the diversity of environmental problems to which a variety of economic instruments can be applied - air and water pollution, packaging, deforestation, over-grazing, wildlife. They also show what is needed for them to work successfully and the pitfalls to avoid in introducing them, providing guidance for future applications. Written to be accessible to non-economists, the book offers source material for students and academic economists, as well as for professionals working with economic instruments.

Challenges related to energy consumption, moisture, and mold control in buildings have reached a crises level. This book introduces a mathematical model for understanding traditional architecture and finding solutions for our current energy efficiency, moisture, and mold related problems. Based on lessons from the past, this book introduces a new understanding of thermal mass in buildings that include utilizing latent thermal mass to control moisture and reduce energy consumption in buildings. Here in this book, you will find a holistic evaluation model that assists architects and designers in producing healthy buildings with low energy consumption. This book discusses the use of field monitoring and computer simulation for both heat and moisture transfer to test and analyze suggested design and control strategies to reduce energy consumption in buildings as well as to improve air quality and depress mold growth. This book also suggests general design guidelines to improve energy performance of buildings and to enhance thermal comfort. This book is very valuable for Researchers, Architects, Engineers, Builders, and Policy makers who are involved in the design and construction of buildings.

This volume presents the results of a three-year collaborative effort involving research institutions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Case studies demonstrate the diversity of environmental problems to which a variety of economic instruments can be applied - air and water pollution, packaging, deforestation, over-grazing, wildlife. They also show what is needed for them to work successfully and the pitfalls to avoid in introducing them, providing guidance for future applications. Written to be accessible to non-economists, the book offers source material for students and academic economists, as well as for professionals working with economic instruments.