Description
Book SynopsisEconomy 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.
Trade Review'This edited volume, which draws on papers presented at the Third Meeting of the International Society for Ecological Economics in 1994, provides an interesting and readable survey of an important area of inquiry and practice. The conference organizers sought to promote "down-to-earth" applications of the conceptual frameworks championed by ISEEs founders, and the book presents case studies from a wide range of geographical and substantive contexts. . . . The result is a book that reflects the methodological richness, conceptual pluralism, and operational implications of ecological economics. . . . the text remains fresh and insightful, contributing significantly to the developing literature in this field.'Table of ContentsContents: Preface 1. Ecological Economics Between Theory and Policy (J. van den Bergh, J. van der Straaten) Part I: Economics, Ecosystems, and Uncertainty 2. Ecological Economics: Paradigm or Perspective (K. Turner, C. Perrings, C. Folke) 3. Toward an Integration of Uncertainty, Irreversibility, and Complexity in Environmental Decision Making (S. Faucheux, G. Froger, G. Munda) 4. Emergent Complexity and Ecological Economics (S. Funtowicz, M. O’Connor, J. Ravetz) 5. Multi-criteria Evaluation as a Multidimensional Approach to Welfare Measurement (G. Munda) Part II. Macro-Scale 6. Effective Demand and Weak Sustainability: A Macroeconomic Model (C.E. F. Young) 7. Theories of International Trade and the Environment: Comparison and Critique (C. van Beers, J. van den Bergh) 8. Trade, Equity, and Regional Environmental Sustainability (J. Gowdy) 9. Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in China: Past Experiences and Future Potential (F. Qu, A. Kuyvenhoven, N. Heerink, T. van Rheenen) 10. Structural Change, Growth, and Dematerialization: An Empirical Analysis (S. de Bruyn, J. van den Bergh, J. Opschoor) Part III. Ecosystem Scale 11. Economic Cultures and Ecology in a Small Caribbean Island (S. Cole) 12. Sustainability and Rangeland Management (J. Arntzen) 13. Valuing Ecosystem Change: Theory and Measurement (S. Kask, J. Shogren, P. Morton) Part IV. Institutional Scale: Policy and Management Options 14. Strategic Planning for Sustainable Development in Indonesia Using Natural Resource Accounts (G.-M. Lange) 15. Limited Knowledge and the Precautionary Principle: On the Feasibility of Environmental Policies (F. Hinterberger, G.Wegner) 16. Developing Countries’ Primary Exports and the Internalizaiton of Environmental Externalities (H. Kox) Index
