Current Issues in Ecological Economics series – serie

This path-breaking book shows how green accounting can be compatible with ecological economics and how it can contribute to the implementation of sustainability. It explores the history and methodology of green accounting and describes the state-of-the-art construction of green accounts in individual countries.The authors first provide an overview of the history of national accounting and its place in the debate concerning sustainability. In particular they address the social role that accounts play, the relationship of national accounts to economic traditions, and the relationship between green national accounts and ecological economics. They go on to describe issues related to the history of green accounts and the methodologies adopted, and discuss the Dutch experience with the NAMEA system, the use of input-output analysis in national accounting and the conceptual issues raised by green accounting. Finally, the authors show how green accounts are being constructed and used in various countries, by both national governments and corporate businesses. The book features new case studies of green national accounting in Europe, Africa and Canada, the UK experience in establishing green accounts and the process of greening business accounts.Greening the Accounts will be required reading for scholars of ecological economics, environmental studies and business and national accounting.

Nature and agriculture both shape the European countryside and one of the main challenges for the years to come will be to strengthen their interaction for the future development of rural areas. In this valuable and highly topical book, the authors demonstrate how economics and ecology can play a critical role in maintaining and sustaining this relationship.The book identifies the dilemmas facing European agriculture and explores their economic and ecological consequences. The authors believe a better understanding of these problems will be crucial in recognising the potential options for the future role of agriculture and nature policy and will guide the identification of suitable policy instruments. They highlight current threats to the relationship between agriculture and nature - such as abandonment and intensification - and demonstrate how these problems can be resolved by a rational policy mix. The book also provides extensive empirical evidence from four case studies and concludes by scrutinising the major changes in market conditions and the Common Agricultural Policy which could upset this important but fragile balance between agriculture and nature.Providing a state-of-the-art overview of current thinking on the relationship between agriculture and nature in the context of EU policy, this book will be welcomed by policymakers and those studying and working in the fields of agricultural and resource economics, geography, and agri-business.

During the past twenty years there has been an explosive growth in research into environmental issues from a social science perspective. Ecological economics, in particular, has emerged as a true transdiscipline which seeks to conceptualise environmental concerns, thus allowing for the formulation of appropriate policy measures. This volume takes stock of this emerging body of work and offers an authoritative insight into current environmental thought. The book is divided into three broad sections: Disciplinary Approaches, Concepts and Issues. Under the heading of disciplinary approaches, the authors review the state of environmental thinking in the diverse fields of philosophy, politics, sociology, economics and law. The concepts addressed include the precautionary principle, sustainable development, environmental security and ecological modernisation. Finally, in the last section, they assess a range of crucial environmental issues such as consumption, biodiversity, global climate change and population. Each of the specially commissioned chapters is written by a recognised expert in the field, while the book as a whole offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective. Ecological economists, environmental researchers and environmental policy analysts will all find this an accessible and highly rewarding introduction to contemporary environmental thinking.

Waste is a quintessentially ecological economic issue. The generation of waste is rooted in the very laws of nature, but waste is also a social construct, and what we understand to be waste has evolved with human societies. Therefore, a crucial issue in modern waste management is the understanding of attitudes towards waste. This book examines the ecological economics approach to waste, its conceptualisation and management.In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the issue of waste, the authors utilise an array of disciplinary approaches from both natural and social sciences. They begin by considering waste through the thermodynamics of production processes, and through an assessment of the history of waste. Building on this physical-social background, they concentrate on specific aspects of waste policy. These include the public's attitude towards waste, the economics of waste, and the laws and regulations surrounding waste disposal. Further chapters look in detail at the three main types of waste being generated by modern societies: municipal, toxic and nuclear waste. This path-breaking book seeks to lay the basis for a general conceptualisation of waste in ecological economics and to elucidate the main issues relating to waste generation and management.This is a comprehensive analysis of waste as a concept, and as an issue for humans as both producers and consumers. It will be of great value to ecological economists, waste managers and environmental policy analysts.

This book focuses on modelling in ecological economics and offers a comprehensive overview of current and emerging methods of applying mathematical, computational and conceptual methods to environmental issues. Following a detailed introduction, the authors investigate various modelling techniques including: evolutionary modellinginput-output modelling neo-Austrian modelling entropy in ecological economics thermodynamic models multi-criteria evaluation agent-based modelling the environmental Kuznets curve.In each of the specially commissioned chapters, the expert authors have tried to limit the level of complexity to create a unique and accessible resource. As such, this book should have a wide appeal amongst scholars, researchers and students with an interest in modelling techniques and their use in ecological and environmental economics.

Research on consumption from an environmental perspective has exploded since the late 1990s. This important new volume cuts across disciplines to present the latest research in the field. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which addresses the problems of consumption both as a concept and as an economic and social force with high environmental impact. In the second part, the authors try to explain consumption as an attempt by individuals to satisfy different types of needs whilst simultaneously being embedded in certain lifestyles and constrained by time and daily routines. The final section looks at how change towards less environmentally damaging consumption patterns can be achieved through national sustainability and consumer policy measures, as well as through community building and individual action. In accordance with the transdisciplinary nature of ecological economics, the original contributions emanate from a variety of different perspectives to reflect the diversity of research in this growing field.By seriously exploring the role of consumption within ecological economics, this fine book will provide invaluable reading for students and researchers interested in sustainable consumption, ecological economics and consumer research.