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The loss of biodiversity has put increasing pressure on the
stability and continuity of ecosystems, and their ability to
provide goods and services to mankind. This valuable new book
addresses this issue and presents an integrated ecological-economic
perspective on the analysis of biodiversity loss and conservation.
It adopts a multidisciplinary approach and attempts both to provide
a definition of biodiversity benefits as well as investigate
alternative perspectives on biodiversity. The book also presents a
classification of biodiversity values and effectively illustrates
which economic valuation methods can best measure which type of
biodiversity value. The distinguished authors move on to discuss
the utility of the application of the economics-ecology interface
and integrated modelling for the assessment of biodiversity values.
In doing so, they consider the use of multi-criteria evaluation and
meta-analytical methods to deal with the aggregation of information
from multiple disciplines and past valuation studies, respectively.
The book concludes by addressing the role of biodiversity
indicators and monetary information for policy design and
biodiversity management, devoting special attention to the
certification and the ecolabeling of biodiversity benefits. The
integration of economic and ecological theories and methods, and
the strong methodological orientation will be of immense benefit to
students, academics and researchers of environmental economics,
environmental science and ecology. Policymakers involved with
nature policy and management will also find this volume to be of
great practical value.
The effectiveness and scope of operational analysis of sustainable
development is explored in this major new book. Ecological
Economics and Sustainable Development offers an integrated
treatment of theory, methods and applications for
economic-ecological analysis taking into consideration all the
relevant interactions between economic, development and physical
and biological processes.An overview of different theoretical
perspectives, based on insights from economics, ecology and
thermodynamics, is followed by discussion of the dimensions of
sustainable development including ethics and intergenerational
equity, sustainable and multiple use, and spatial sustainability.
The second part of the book discusses methods for analysis,
covering the choice of indicators, natural resource accounting, and
integrated static, dynamic and spatial modelling, and evaluation,
including multi-criteria and cost-benefit analysis. Attention is
also given to decision support and the choice of policy
instruments. Combinations of the various methods are applied in the
final part of the book, using case studies which cover a range of
ecosystems and regions, as well as a variety of issues and
problems. These studies clearly show the potential of
policy-oriented integrated economic-ecological analysis for
sustainable development.
Economy and Ecosystems in Change addresses ecological problems from
an economic perspective, and provides policy suggestions for
resource management and environmental sustainability based on
integrated, multidisciplinary information, methods and
applications. The book begins by introducing the different
approaches and applications within ecological economics and
clarifying new elements and fundamental principles. This initial
discussion includes a comparison between ecological and
environmental economics and the evaluation and function of
ecosystems. The authors then examine the macroeconomy-ecosystem
relationship with reference to national and global processes,
focusing specifically on employment versus sustainability, trade,
industrial transformation and rural development. In the third part
there is an evaluation of whether ecosystems and economics can be
treated independently; it is argued that the integration of these
fields provides more complete insights and information for
addressing the complex relationships between human activities and
natural processes. Finally, the authors consider the institutional
environment and policies affecting public ecosystems subject to
economic uses. Using case study evidence, they conclude that public
policy often supports an unsustainable use of resources. To counter
this the authors propose policy and management options based on
natural resource accounts, practical policy objectives and the
precautionary principle. Economy and Ecosystems in Change will be
of interest to ecological, environmental and resource economists
and policymakers.
This insightful volume presents a multidisciplinary perspective on
environmental planning. Drawing on the most important works in the
environmental and social sciences, this collection places special
emphasis on spatial dimensions and pure planning and covers such
topics as: regulatory instruments and institutions; policy under
bounded rationality; urban environmental planning; regulation of
diffuse sources and land; location and trade and ex-post evaluation
planning. In addition to many classic papers, the editor has
included some recent surveys and papers which offer an original
viewpoint. The book will be an essential source of reference for
scholars and practitioners alike.
This book addresses the problem of how to make a large-scale
socio-technical transition to renewable energy, so as to realize an
environmentally sustainable economy in the long run. Transition
thinking has in a short time managed to occupy a central position
in the policy debate on sustainable development. The transition
approach offers an innovative view on the role and content of
public policy, compared with traditional views from economic,
administrative and political sciences. The main motivation for
using this notion is that while it links up with the system-wide
approach of sustainable development, it has the advantage of
shifting the attention from a vague end goal (blueprint) to the
processes leading towards this goal. These processes in turn
provide a concrete basis for thinking about appropriate public
policies, taking account of the complex relations between
technologies, institutions and behaviours. This book offers
perspectives from a wide range of disciplines, addressing macro,
regional and local scales. Contributions come from mainstream
economics, evolutionary economics, sociology, political sciences,
innovation studies, spatial economics and decision theory.
Important lessons are also drawn from historical transitions.
Managing the Transition to Renewable Energy will appeal to
academics and researchers in environmental science and economics,
environmental and technological policy advisors, evolutionary
economists and researchers on technological innovation.
The extensive destruction of wetlands across Europe represents a
significant loss of biodiversity along with its related economic,
cultural, ethical and scientific benefits. This volume addresses
the critical issues surrounding this environmental change process,
employing a range of analytical methods drawn from a variety of
disciplines which bridge the social and natural science divide. The
authors begin by exploring the various methodological approaches to
the analysis of the causes and consequences of wetland loss in
Europe. The findings reveal that a formal decision-support process
can be defined which can assist in the search for a more
sustainable approach to wetland management. The methods and tools
advocated are interdisciplinary and require co-ordinated action by
experts from a variety of different fields. The authors move on to
present a series of case studies from which a number of general
conclusions can be drawn. In particular, they identify conflicts
concerning use, value and interest groups to be the most common in
the context of wetland management versus development. Consequently,
they argue that scientific analysis requires support from the
social sciences in order to better understand and implement more
participatory approaches to environmental management. Given the
ongoing depletion of wetland ecosystems throughout the world, this
novel interdisciplinary approach to their sustainable management is
a timely and valuable exercise. Students, researchers and scholars
of environmental economics, environmental science, ecology,
geography and environmental politics will find this book to be a
useful addition to the literature. It will also help policymakers,
international agencies and NGOs to preserve these valuable
environmental resources.
This study offers a unique evolutionary economics perspective on
energy and innovation policies in the wider context of the
transition to sustainable development. The authors include: an
analysis of the environmental policy implications of evolutionary
economics; a critical examination of current Dutch environmental
and innovation policies and policy documents; and systematic
evaluation of three specific energy technologies, namely fuel
cells, nuclear fusion and photovoltaic cells, within the
evolutionary-economic framework. Their analysis results in a number
of very specific policy recommendations, which to some extent may
be in conflict with current policy advice and practice.
Evolutionary Economics and Environmental Policy will appeal to
researchers, undergraduate and graduate students in environmental
economics, environmental science, public economics and technology
studies. It will also be valuable to policy advisors and
policymakers whose decisions affect the environment either directly
or indirectly.
The extensive destruction of wetlands across Europe represents a
significant loss of biodiversity along with its related economic,
cultural, ethical and scientific benefits. This volume addresses
the critical issues surrounding this environmental change process,
employing a range of analytical methods drawn from a variety of
disciplines which bridge the social and natural science divide. The
authors begin by exploring the various methodological approaches to
the analysis of the causes and consequences of wetland loss in
Europe. The findings reveal that a formal decision-support process
can be defined which can assist in the search for a more
sustainable approach to wetland management. The methods and tools
advocated are interdisciplinary and require co-ordinated action by
experts from a variety of different fields. The authors move on to
present a series of case studies from which a number of general
conclusions can be drawn. In particular, they identify conflicts
concerning use, value and interest groups to be the most common in
the context of wetland management versus development. Consequently,
they argue that scientific analysis requires support from the
social sciences in order to better understand and implement more
participatory approaches to environmental management. Given the
ongoing depletion of wetland ecosystems throughout the world, this
novel interdisciplinary approach to their sustainable management is
a timely and valuable exercise. Students, researchers and scholars
of environmental economics, environmental science, ecology,
geography and environmental politics will find this book to be a
useful addition to the literature. It will also help policymakers,
international agencies and NGOs to preserve these valuable
environmental resources.
This major reference book comprises specially commissioned surveys
in environmental and resource economics written by an international
team of experts. Authoritative yet accessible, each entry provides
a state-of-the-art summary of key areas that will be invaluable to
researchers, practitioners and advanced students. The handbook
contains 79 chapters distributed over 10 main sections:
introduction economics of natural resources economics of
environmental policy international aspects of environmental
economics and policy space in environmental economics environmental
macroeconomics * economic valuation and evaluation
interdisciplinary issues methods and models in environmental and
resource economics prospects Aside from being the most extensive
survey of environmental and resource economics available today, the
handbook contains several special and unique features. Five of the
ten main sections cover topics that are addressed marginally or not
at all in previous handbooks or other surveys. Moreover, in
addition to overviews of the standard (neoclassical) approach, the
book covers core elements of ecological economics in the section on
interdisciplinary issues, with a separate chapter comparing
neoclassical and ecological economics. The first section includes
an introduction and summary of the handbook, as well as a chapter
with a historical survey of environmental economics. The final
section covers future areas of research from both monodisciplinary
and multidisciplinary perspectives. At a chapter level the handbook
addresses, in addition to standard topics, both less common and
recent topics in environmental and resource economics. These
include cartels in resource extraction, trade in resources,
indicators of resource scarcity, endogenous risk, policy in
imperfect markets, transaction costs, the double dividend of
ecotaxation, distribution issues, ethics and policy, ethics and
valuation, strategic trade, endogenous locations, endogenous growth
theory, environmental Kuznets curves, sustainability and
sustainable development, the meaning of thermodynamics, analysis of
materials flows, the relevance of ecological theory, multi-criteria
analysis, computable general equilibrium models, decomposition
methods, and ecological economics. Traditional topics are surveyed
as well, for instance, externalities, instrument choice,
nonrenewable resource extraction, fishery economics, water use, the
growth debate, valuation methods and cost-benefit analysis. A final
main advantage of the handbook is that the extensive sub-divisions
into topics means that the surveys offer an advanced treatment
whilst being concise, authoritative and accessible.
Prices and quantities of both stock and flow variables in an
economic system are decisively influenced by their spatial
coordinates. Any equilibrium state also mirrors the underlying
spatial structure and a tatonnement process also incorporates the
spatial ramifications of consumer and producer behaviour. The
recognition ofthe spatial element in the formation of a general
equilibrium in a complex space-economy already dates back to early
work of LOsch, Isard and Samuelson, but it reached a stage of
maturity thanks to the new inroads made by T. Takayama. This book
is devoted to spatial economic equilibrium (SPE) analysis and is
meant to pay homage to the founding father of modern spatial
economic thinking, Professor Takayama. This book witnesses his
great talents in clear and rigorous economic thinking regarding an
area where for decades many economists have been groping in the
dark. Everybody who wants to study the phenomenon of spatial
economic equilibrium will necessarily come across Takayama's work,
but this necessity is at the same time a great pleasure. Studying
his work means a personal scientific enrichment in a field which is
still not completely explored. The present volume brings together
recent contributions to spatial equilibrium analysis, written by
friends and colleagues of Takayama. The structure of the book is
based on four main uses of spatial equilibrium models: (i) the
imbedding of spatial flows in the economic environment, related to
e.g.
This major reference book comprises specially commissioned surveys
in environmental and resource economics written by an international
team of experts. Authoritative yet accessible, each entry provides
a state-of-the-art summary of key areas that will be invaluable to
researchers, practitioners and advanced students. The handbook
contains 79 chapters distributed over 10 main sections:
introduction economics of natural resources economics of
environmental policy international aspects of environmental
economics and policy space in environmental economics environmental
macroeconomics * economic valuation and evaluation
interdisciplinary issues methods and models in environmental and
resource economics prospects Aside from being the most extensive
survey of environmental and resource economics available today, the
handbook contains several special and unique features. Five of the
ten main sections cover topics that are addressed marginally or not
at all in previous handbooks or other surveys. Moreover, in
addition to overviews of the standard (neoclassical) approach, the
book covers core elements of ecological economics in the section on
interdisciplinary issues, with a separate chapter comparing
neoclassical and ecological economics. The first section includes
an introduction and summary of the handbook, as well as a chapter
with a historical survey of environmental economics. The final
section covers future areas of research from both monodisciplinary
and multidisciplinary perspectives. At a chapter level the handbook
addresses, in addition to standard topics, both less common and
recent topics in environmental and resource economics. These
include cartels in resource extraction, trade in resources,
indicators of resource scarcity, endogenous risk, policy in
imperfect markets, transaction costs, the double dividend of
ecotaxation, distribution issues, ethics and policy, ethics and
valuation, strategic trade, endogenous locations, endogenous growth
theory, environmental Kuznets curves, sustainability and
sustainable development, the meaning of thermodynamics, analysis of
materials flows, the relevance of ecological theory, multi-criteria
analysis, computable general equilibrium models, decomposition
methods, and ecological economics. Traditional topics are surveyed
as well, for instance, externalities, instrument choice,
nonrenewable resource extraction, fishery economics, water use, the
growth debate, valuation methods and cost-benefit analysis. A final
main advantage of the handbook is that the extensive sub-divisions
into topics means that the surveys offer an advanced treatment
whilst being concise, authoritative and accessible.
Both natural and cultural selection played an important role in
shaping human evolution. Since cultural change can itself be
regarded as evolutionary, a process of gene-culture coevolution is
operative. The study of human evolution - in past, present and
future - is therefore not restricted to biology. An inclusive
comprehension of human evolution relies on integrating insights
about cultural, economic and technological evolution with relevant
elements of evolutionary biology. In addition, proximate causes and
effects of cultures need to be added to the picture - issues which
are at the forefront of social sciences like anthropology,
economics, geography and innovation studies. This book highlights
discussions on the many topics to which such generalised
evolutionary thought has been applied: the arts, the brain, climate
change, cooking, criminality, environmental problems, futurism,
gender issues, group processes, humour, industrial dynamics,
institutions, languages, medicine, music, psychology, public
policy, religion, sex, sociality and sports.
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