Research on the cutting edge of economics, ecology, and ethics is presented in this timely study. Building from a theoretical critique of the tradition of cost-benefit analysis, the contributors lay the foundation for a macroeconomics of environmental sustainability and distributive justice. Attention is then turned to three of the most critical areas of social and environmental applied research - biodiversity, climate change, and energy. The contributors redefine progress away from growth and toward development. To this end, the first section of the book tackles the dominant framework used in the US today to evaluate tradeoffs between economic growth and its inherent externalities. Succeeding chapters cover a wide variety of studies related to biodiversity health and energy. Each section is anchored with overviews by top scholars in these areas - including Herman Daly, Carl McDaniel, Stephen Schneider, and Nathan Hagens - and followed by detailed analyses reflecting the transdisciplinary approach of ecological economics. Students and scholars of ecological, environmental, and natural resource economics, sustainability sciences, and environmental studies will find this book of great interest. Non-profit and government agencies in search of methods and cases that merge the study of ecology and economics will also find the analyses of great practical value.

Climate disruption, overpopulation, biodiversity loss, the threats of financial collapse, large-scale damage to our natural and social environments and eroding democracy are all becoming critically important concerns. The editors of this timely book assert that these problems are not separate, but all stem from our overreliance on an out-dated approach to economics that puts growth of production and consumption above all else. Ecological economics can help create the future that most people want - a future that is prosperous, just, equitable and sustainable. This forward-thinking book lays out an alternative approach that places the sustainable wellbeing of humans and the rest of nature as the overarching goal. Each of the book s chapters, written by a diverse collection of scholars and practitioners, outlines a research and action agenda for how this future can look and possible actions for its realization. Sustainable Wellbeing Futures will be of value to academics and students researching environmental and ecological economics, as well as individuals interested in gaining a greater understanding of the concept of a wellbeing future and how we might act to achieve it. Contributors include: M. Abrams, J. Adams, G. Alperovitz, J. Ament, D. Baker, L. Barbeiri, D. Barmes, S. Bliss, R. Boumans, K. Brevik, P. Brown, M. Burke, B.S. Caniglia, C. Carmichael, J.C. Castilla-Rho, R. Costanza, A. Damiano, T. Dietz, E.M.B. Doran, B. Dube, M. Egler, J.D. Erickson, S.C. Farber, J. Farley, L. Fioramonti, M.-J.V. Fox, K. Gallagher, T. Gladkikh, R.K. Gould, J. Gourevitch, J. Gowdy, C. Guay-Boutet, M. Hensher, R.B. Howarth, T. Jackson, X. Ji, D.C. Kenny, K. Kish, C. Koliba, J. Kolodinsky, N. Kosoy, I. Kubiszewski, M.T. Lucas, V. Luzadis, D. Markowitz, S. Marshall, J. McGlade, M. Moser, S. O'Hara, C. Orr, P. Perez, K. Pickett, S. Posner, S. Quilley, T.H. Ricketts, A.B. Schneider, D. Spethmann, R. Svartzman, S. Telle, K. Trebeck, J. Valcour, M. Venkatesan, P.A. Victor, A. Voinov, S. Wallis, R. Wilkinson, G. Yahya Haage, Y. Yoshida, E. Zencey, A. Zia

The papers in this volume illustrate the power of a scientific approach to ecological economics. Good science is a careful blend of theory and empirical testing. Theory without empirical grounding is of no practical value and random case studies without a theoretical context are not generalizable. The back and forth interplay between theory and evidence is apparent in the modeling exercises, evaluation studies, and policy design described in this book.
Watershed management has been chosen as a concrete focus to illuminate the facets of sustainability. It requires both a deep understanding of the natural processes in watersheds and of the societal processes which strongly depend on the natural watershed services. Furthermore, country-specific governance structures need to be considered to fine-tune the design of sustainable watershed policies in order to approach an interaction of society and nature, which ensures a long term use of water resources without adverse effects on society and the environment. This book has accepted the challenge to tackle the complex scientific underpinning of sustainable watershed analysis and management and will reveal basic ecological economic knowledge and methodological approaches in this prominent field of research.
Advances in the Economics of Environmental Resources is now available online at ScienceDirect full-text online of volumes 3 onwards.

We live under the illusion of progress: as long as GDP is going up and prices stay low, we accept poverty and pollution as unfortunate but inevitable byproducts of a successful economy. In fact, the infallibility of the free market and the necessity of endless growth are so ingrained in the public consciousness that they seem like scientific fact. Jon Erickson asks, why? With the planet in peril and humanity in crisis, how did we get duped into believing the fairytale of economics? And how can we get past the illusion to design an economy that is socially just and ecologically balanced? In The Progress Illusion, Erickson charts the rise of the economic worldview and its infiltration into our daily lives as a theory of everything. Drawing on his own experience as a young economist inoculated in the 1980s era of “greed is good,” Erickson shows how pseudoscience came to dominate economic thought. He pokes holes in the conventional wisdom of neo-classical economics, illustrating how flawed theories about financial decision-making and maximizing efficiency ignore human psychology and morality. Most importantly, he demonstrates how that thinking shaped our politics and determined the course of American public policy. The result has been a system that perpetually concentrates wealth in the hands of a few, while depleting the natural resources on which economies are based. While the history of economics is dismal indeed, Erickson is part of a vigorous reform effort grounded in the realities of life on a finite planet. This new brand of economics is both gaining steam in academia and supporting social activism. The goal is people over profit, community over consumption, and resilience over recklessness. Erickson shows crafting a new economic story is the first step toward turning away from endless growth and towards enduring prosperity.