by John Asafu-Adjaye (The University of Queensland, Australia)

Table of Contents (57k)
Preface (77k)
Chapter 1: Introduction (222k)

Environmental economics, which used to be on the periphery of the economics discipline, is fast becoming mainstream as concern for the environment grows. Practitioners in other disciplines (e.g. engineering, science, natural resource management, social sciences) are increasingly faced with environmental problems that have an economic component. This invaluable book fills an important gap in the literature by teaching both economists and non-economists how to use economic tools to address environmental problems.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I introduces theoretical concepts, including chapters on ecological economics and basic microeconomics for the non-specialist. Part II introduces tools for environmental policy analysis, while Part III discusses global environmental issues. The material is presented in an engaging manner with extensive use of graphs and diagrams to explain the key concepts. Exercises and an extensive bibliography are provided at the end of each chapter.

• Introduction to Environmental Economics: Theoretical Foundations:
  • Incorporating the Environment into the Economic System: Introduction to Ecological Economics
  • How Markets are Supposed to Work
  • Why Markets ‘Fail’
• Tools for Environmental Policy Analysis:
  • Environmental Valuation
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Impact Analysis, and Stakeholder Analysis
  • Multi-Criteria Analysis
• Global Environmental Issues:
  • Population Growth, Resource Use and the Environment
  • Economic Growth and the Environment
  • Sustainable Development
  • Green Accounting and Measurement of Genuine Saving
  • Assessment of Global Environmental Trends and Policy Implications
• Useful Internet Resources

• Answers to Numerical Exercises