Robert Costanza - Böcker

There has always been interest in understanding what constitutes the good life and the basis for creating it. Much has been written about health and wellbeing at multiple scales, from the physical and psychological through to the societal and environmental. Wellbeing has been studied from the perspectives of psychology, medicine, economics, social science, ecology, and political science. However, the interconnections between these scales and perspectives have received far less attention, even though understanding these interdependencies is critical to the comprehensive understanding of wellbeing and how to improve it.In Toward an Integrated Science of Wellbeing, the contributing authors connect these diverse scales and perspectives to better guide wellbeing research and public policy. The book is divided into four sections representing each domain of wellbeing research--psychological, human biological, societal, and environmental--but the authors extend their work to consider the interconnections between these domains, seeking integration across all scales throughout. Individual chapters explore topics such as indigenous perspectives and wellbeing, wellbeing in higher education, positive ageing, inequality and wellbeing, health and climate change, and greenspaces and wellbeing.This integrated approach offers a first step toward a more complete understanding of wellbeing that can propel wellbeing research and initiatives in novel and fruitful directions.

Outlines an interdisciplinary approach to the understanding and management of the ecology and sustainable economics on local, regional and global scales. The topics discussed include the modelling of ecological economics systems and the institutional changes required.

In the latter part of the 20th century, humans are doing a particularly poor job of managing natural resources in a sustainable way over the long term.Institutions, Ecosystems, and Sustainability focuses on long-term, sustainable natural resource management practices at the local, national, and international levels. The authors suggest that a major cause of the "sustainability problem" - regulatory policies for large areas that often threaten the sustainability of both natural resources and previously effective governance problems - lie in "scale" problems. Large scale ecosystems are not simply larger versions of smaller systems, and micro-scale ecosystems are not merely microcosms of large scale systems. The driving forces and feedback mechanisms operate at different levels and exhibit distinct patterns of their own.Traditional management practices that do well at the local level cannot be expected to do equally well in handling activities organized at the continental or global scale. Even more importantly, when local systems are superseded by national or international management practices, local ecosystems frequently suffer.The challenge is to match ecosystems and governance systems in ways that maximize the compatibility of these systems. This book builds upon this fundamental principle. Particularly valuable is the use of simulation exercises to explore the consequences of social institutions and a discussion of the progress being made in developing a broad global data base to test hypothesis about the relationship between ecosystems and social institutions, and to investigate ways to repair the damage already caused by scale mismatches.Features

Continuing in the tradition of its bestselling predecessor, the Handbook of Ecological Indicators for Assessment of Ecosystem Health, Second Edition brings together world-class editors and contributors who have been at the forefront of ecosystem health assessment research for decades, to provide a sound approach to environmental management and sustainable development. Significantly updated and expanded, this authoritative resource details a proven framework for selecting, evaluating, and validating ecological indicators for ecosystem health assessment. It guides readers through the application of this framework to a wide range of ecosystems, including wetlands, estuaries, coastal zones, lakes, forests, marine ecosystems, lagoons, agricultural systems, landscapes, and rivers. The text synthesizes material from a variety of books, journals, and private research, to consider biodiversity, energy needs, ecological economics, and natural capital in the measurement of ecological health. Organized for ease of reference, the first part of the handbook provides the required theoretical background. It presents a complete overview of all relevant ecological indicators—including thermodynamics, resilience estimates, exergy, and emergy indicators. The second part focuses on how to effectively apply the ecological indicators to a number of important ecosystems. It includes many examples and case studies that clearly illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method for specific applications.Offering first-hand insight and practical guidance from practitioners in the field, this complete resource supplies the tools and the well-rounded understanding required to diagnose the health of virtually any ecosystem with much improved accuracy.

When managers and ecologists need to make decisions about the environment, they use models to simulate the dynamic systems that interest them. All management decisions affect certain landscapes over time, and those landscapes are composed of intricate webs of dynamic processes that need to be considered in relation to each other. With widespread use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), there is a growing need for complex models corporating an increasing amount of data. The open-source Spatial Modeling Environment (SME) was developed to build upon common modeling software, such as STELLA (R), and Powersim (R), among others, to create, run, analyze, and present spatial models of ecosystems, watersheds, populations, and landscapes. In this book, the creators of the Spatial Modeling Environment discuss and illustrate the uses of SME as a modeling tool for all kinds of complex spatial systems. The authors demonstrate the entire process of spatial modeling, beginning with the conceptual design, continuing through formal implementation and analysis, and finally with the interpretation and presentation of the results.A variety of applications and case studies address particular types of ecological and management problems and help to identify potential problems for modelers. Researchers and students interested in spatial modeling will learn how to simulate the complex dynamics of landscapes. Managers and decision makers will acquire tools for predicting changes in landscapes while learning about both the possibilities and the limitations of simulation models. The enclosed CD contains SME, color illustrations and models and data from the examples in the book.

This book takes a compelling approach to describing what is needed to create the kind of future that most people on Earth really want. Our global society is hopelessly addicted to a particular vision of the world and a future that has become both unsustainable and undesirable. Addicted to Growth frames our current predicament as a societal addiction to a ‘growth at all costs’ economic paradigm. While economic growth has produced many benefits, its side effects are now producing existential problems that are rapidly getting worse. Robert Costanza considers lessons from what works at the individual level to overcome addictions and applies them to a societal scale. Costanza recognises that the first step to recovery is recognising the addiction and that it is leading to disaster; however, simply pointing out the dire consequences of our societal addiction is only the first step and can be counterproductive by itself in motivating change. The key next step is creating a truly shared vision of the kind of world we all want, and the book explores creative ways to implement this societal therapy. The final step is using that shared vision to motivate the changes needed to achieve it, including adaptive transformations of our economic systems, property rights regimes, and governance institutions. An exciting contribution from a key thinker in the field, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of public policy and sustainability studies, and anyone interested in understanding and overcoming our societal addiction to growth.

This book takes a compelling approach to describing what is needed to create the kind of future that most people on Earth really want. Our global society is hopelessly addicted to a particular vision of the world and a future that has become both unsustainable and undesirable. Addicted to Growth frames our current predicament as a societal addiction to a ‘growth at all costs’ economic paradigm. While economic growth has produced many benefits, its side effects are now producing existential problems that are rapidly getting worse. Robert Costanza considers lessons from what works at the individual level to overcome addictions and applies them to a societal scale. Costanza recognises that the first step to recovery is recognising the addiction and that it is leading to disaster; however, simply pointing out the dire consequences of our societal addiction is only the first step and can be counterproductive by itself in motivating change. The key next step is creating a truly shared vision of the kind of world we all want, and the book explores creative ways to implement this societal therapy. The final step is using that shared vision to motivate the changes needed to achieve it, including adaptive transformations of our economic systems, property rights regimes, and governance institutions. An exciting contribution from a key thinker in the field, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of public policy and sustainability studies, and anyone interested in understanding and overcoming our societal addiction to growth.

Ecosystem services are the resources and processes supplied by natural ecosystems which benefit humankind (for example, pollination of crops by insects, or water filtration by wetlands). They underpin life on earth, provide major inputs to many economic sectors and support our lifestyles. Agricultural and urban areas are by far the largest users of ecosystems and their services and (for the first time) this book explores the role that ecosystem services play in these managed environments. The book also explores methods of evaluating ecosystem services, and discusses how these services can be maintained and enhanced in our farmlands and cities. This book will be useful to students and researchers from a variety of fields, including applied ecology, environmental economics, agriculture and forestry, and also to local and regional planners and policy makers.

Continuing in the tradition of its bestselling predecessor, the Handbook of Ecological Indicators for Assessment of Ecosystem Health, Second Edition brings together world-class editors and contributors who have been at the forefront of ecosystem health assessment research for decades, to provide a sound approach to environmental management and sustainable development. Significantly updated and expanded, this authoritative resource details a proven framework for selecting, evaluating, and validating ecological indicators for ecosystem health assessment. It guides readers through the application of this framework to a wide range of ecosystems, including wetlands, estuaries, coastal zones, lakes, forests, marine ecosystems, lagoons, agricultural systems, landscapes, and rivers. The text synthesizes material from a variety of books, journals, and private research, to consider biodiversity, energy needs, ecological economics, and natural capital in the measurement of ecological health. Organized for ease of reference, the first part of the handbook provides the required theoretical background. It presents a complete overview of all relevant ecological indicators—including thermodynamics, resilience estimates, exergy, and emergy indicators. The second part focuses on how to effectively apply the ecological indicators to a number of important ecosystems. It includes many examples and case studies that clearly illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method for specific applications.Offering first-hand insight and practical guidance from practitioners in the field, this complete resource supplies the tools and the well-rounded understanding required to diagnose the health of virtually any ecosystem with much improved accuracy.

The world consists of many complex systems, ranging from our own bodies to ecosystems to economic systems. Despite their diversity, complex systems have many structural and functional features in common that can be effectively si- lated using powerful, user-friendly software. As a result, virtually anyone can - plore the nature of complex systems and their dynamical behavior under a range of assumptions and conditions. This ability to model dynamic systems is already having a powerful influence on teaching and studying complexity. The books in this series will promote this revolution in “systems thinking” by integrating computational skills of numeracy and techniques of dynamic mod- ing into a variety of disciplines. The unifying theme across the series will be the power and simplicity of the model-building process, and all books are designed to engage the reader in developing their own models for exploration of the dyn- ics of systems that are of interest to them. Modeling Dynamic Systems does not endorse any particular modeling paradigm or software. Rather, the volumes in the series will emphasize simplicity of lea- ing, expressive power, and the speed of execution as priorities that will facilitate deeper system understanding.

In the latter part of the 20th century, humans are doing a particularly poor job of managing natural resources in a sustainable way over the long term.Institutions, Ecosystems, and Sustainability focuses on long-term, sustainable natural resource management practices at the local, national, and international levels. The authors suggest that a major cause of the "sustainability problem" - regulatory policies for large areas that often threaten the sustainability of both natural resources and previously effective governance problems - lie in "scale" problems. Large scale ecosystems are not simply larger versions of smaller systems, and micro-scale ecosystems are not merely microcosms of large scale systems. The driving forces and feedback mechanisms operate at different levels and exhibit distinct patterns of their own.Traditional management practices that do well at the local level cannot be expected to do equally well in handling activities organized at the continental or global scale. Even more importantly, when local systems are superseded by national or international management practices, local ecosystems frequently suffer.The challenge is to match ecosystems and governance systems in ways that maximize the compatibility of these systems. This book builds upon this fundamental principle. Particularly valuable is the use of simulation exercises to explore the consequences of social institutions and a discussion of the progress being made in developing a broad global data base to test hypothesis about the relationship between ecosystems and social institutions, and to investigate ways to repair the damage already caused by scale mismatches.Features

From Empty-World Economics to Full-World EconomicsEcological economics explores new ways of thinking about how we manage our lives and our planet to achieve a sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. Ecological economics extends and integrates the study and management of both "nature's household" and "humankind's household"—An Introduction to Ecological Economics, Second Edition, the first update and expansion of this classic text in 15 years, describes new approaches to achieving a sustainable and desirable human presence on Earth. Written by the top experts in the field, it addresses the necessity for an innovative approach to integrated environmental, social, and economic analysis and management, and describes policies aimed at achieving our shared goals. Demands a Departure from Business as UsualThe book begins with a description of prevailing interdependent environmental, economic, and social issues and their underlying causes, and offers guidance on designing policies and instruments capable of adequately coping with these problems. It documents the historical development of the disciplines of economics and ecology, and explores how they have evolved so differently from a shared conceptual base. Structured into four sections, it also presents various ideas and models in their proper chronological context, details the fundamental principles of ecological economics, and outlines prospects for the future. What’s New in the Second Edition:Includes several new pieces and updates in each sectionAdds a series of independently authored "boxes" to expand and update information in the current textAddresses the historical development of economics and ecology and the recent progress in integrating the study of humans and the rest of natureCovers the basic concepts and applications of ecological economics in language accessible to a broad audience An Introduction to Ecological Economics, Second Editioncan be used in an introductory undergraduate or graduate course; requires no prior knowledge of mathematics, economics, or ecology; provides a unified understanding of natural and human-dominated ecosystems; and reintegrates the market economy within society and the rest of nature.

This is the inaugural volume in a series of reviews on the theory, policy, and implementation of sustainability and sustainable development, with a focus on the economic, social, and environmental challenges facing the world today. This volume includes papers by leading international experts in the science of sustainability, including Rudolf de Groot, Richard Cowling, Bruce Hannon, R. Kerry Turner, Peter Nijkamp, Peter Söderbaum, Barry D. Solomon, and Pushpam Kumar.NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas.ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member.

This is the second installment of this annual review series presents invited papers published in collaboration with the United States Society for Ecological Economics. This issue will include in-depth reviews of topics such as: ecological economics of land degradation; assessing the true costs of coal; institutional change and ecological economics; energy and economic growth; systems theory of sustainable exploitation of ecosystems; payments for environmental services; climate change and game theory; the economic value of ecosystem services in the Great Barrier Reef; and core issues in the economics of biodiversity conservation. NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please click here.ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member.

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

We’ve encountered dumplings throughout our travels around the world and started asking the question: What actually is a dumpling? We decided to try to answer this with a unique combination of history, science, statistics and, of course, recipes. This is the definitive global guide and a scientifically ironic travel cookbook about dumplings for dumpling lovers (is there anyone who’s not?). We’ve created and analysed a dumpling database, including over 200 dumplings from 70 countries, each classified into six dimensions of dumplingness (dough, cooking method, flavour [savoury or sweet], stuffing, shape, and size).We analyse their similarities and differences, where they are from and how and why they came to be. We provide recipes for the best-known, unfamiliar, really interesting, and downright funky dumplings. We challenge the reader to decide for themselves what a dumpling is and to discover the amazing diversity of dumplings. Finally, we speculate on the future of dumplings. What new hybrids are on the horizon (or should be).If you love dumplings (and who doesn’t) you’ll love this book.

We’ve encountered dumplings throughout our travels around the world and started asking the question: What actually is a dumpling? We decided to try to answer this with a unique combination of history, science, statistics and, of course, recipes. This is the definitive global guide and a scientifically ironic travel cookbook about dumplings for dumpling lovers (is there anyone who’s not?). We’ve created and analysed a dumpling database, including over 200 dumplings from 70 countries, each classified into six dimensions of dumplingness (dough, cooking method, flavour [savoury or sweet], stuffing, shape, and size).We analyse their similarities and differences, where they are from and how and why they came to be. We provide recipes for the best-known, unfamiliar, really interesting, and downright funky dumplings. We challenge the reader to decide for themselves what a dumpling is and to discover the amazing diversity of dumplings. Finally, we speculate on the future of dumplings. What new hybrids are on the horizon (or should be).If you love dumplings (and who doesn’t) you’ll love this book.

This major authoritative collection prepared by leading figures from North America and Europe presents a careful selection of the most important published articles and papers on ecological economics.Ecology and economics have developed as separate disciplines throughout their recent histories in the twentieth century. A signal contribution of this important collection is that it brings these different traditions together and successfully integrates the natural and social sciences in a volume that will be indispensable to anyone interested in ecological economics.This unique volume contains both classics in the field and contemporary research and gives a coherent picture of the development of the major threads in ecological economics.This collection is a "sampler" in the transdiciplinary field of ecological economics which paints a coherent picture of the development of some of the major threads in this new endeavour. It consists of a selection of both classics in the field and contemporary research, and is intended both for formal courses in ecological economics and for interested independent readers. The book contains 43 papers divided into six sections: 1. Historical Roots and Motivations; 2. Basic Organizing Principles of Ecological Economics; 3. Material and Energy Flows in Ecological and Economic Systems: Theory and Applications; 4. Accounting for Natural Capital, Ecological Limits, and Sustainable Scale; 5. Valuation of Ecological Services; and 6. Integrated Ecological Economic Modeling and Assessment.

Frontiers in Ecological Economics presents some of Robert Costanza's most important work on understanding ecological and economic systems. A signal contribution of Costanza's work is that he transcends disciplinary boundaries by collaborating closely with other specialists and thereby constructs an integrated analysis of the interaction between humans and the rest of the natural world.The book is divided into four parts; part one discusses the creation of an ecological economics, the second part considers material and energy flows in ecological and economic systems, part three surveys dynamic ecological and economic systems modelling and analysis and the final part explores the role of institutions and incentives in environmental protection. Main themes and issues include: environmental sustainability, managing environmental systems, energy and economic valuation in environmental systems and a concern for both the necessity and limitations of modelling ecological economic systems.The book improves access to Robert Costanza's work which has made a fundamental contribution to the development of ecological economics.

This book discusses important recent developments in the theory, concepts and empirical applications of ecological economics and sustainable development. The editors have assembled a fascinating collection of papers from some of the leading scholars in the field of ecological economics.Topics covered include:the contribution of classical economics to ecological economicsalternatives to the growth paradigm and Gross Domestic Productvaluation in ecological economics and indicators of natural resource scarcitycase studies of sustainable developmentcritical reviews of the environmental Kuznets curvegreen national accounting.This will be an invaluable text for scholars, policy analysts and students interested in sustainable development and ecological, environmental and resource economics.

The major challenge for the current generation of mankind is to develop a shared vision of a future that is both desirable to the vast majority of humanity and ecologically sustainable. Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future offers a broad, critical discussion on what such a future should or can be, with global perspectives written by some of the world's leading thinkers, including: Wendell Berry, Van Jones, Frances Moore Lappe, Peggy Liu, Hunter Lovins, Gus Speth, Bill McKibben, and many more.