An Introduction to Ecological Economics

Book Description

Ecological economics is a way of rethinking the relationship between humans and the environment and working out the implications of how we manage our lives and the planet. An Introduction to Ecological Economics offers a starting point for undergraduate and graduate students and environmental professionals interested in this transdisciplinary field. Beginning in Section 1 with a description of some current problems in society and their underlying causes, Section 2 then takes a historical perspective to explain how world views regarding economics and ecology have evolved. Section 3 presents the fundamental principles of ecological economics, and Part 4 outlines and discusses a set of policies for creating a sustainable society as well as instruments that could be used to implement those policies. A conclusions section summarizes the main points of the book and proposes prospects for the future. Let An Introduction to Ecological Economics introduce you to important issues affecting our ecology, our economy, our world.

Customer Reviews:

too simplistic for the well-informed.......2001-08-15

This book is quite literally an "introduction," in the sense of discussing the environment and the deficiencies of neoclassical economics as if the reader had not a clue that multinational corporations (and the powerful governments that aid them) are destroying the capacity of the biosphere to support life, including human life. The text is simple and easy to understand since the writing is at the level of that of the World Book Encyclopedia, with some of the same excessive optimism and a general failure to examine the effects of the law of compound interest and other increasing exponential functions in any mathematically useful way. The bibliography at the back of the book goes on for several pages, but cites dozens and dozens of titles by the same five people who group-authored this book. The citations in the text are usually to entire books, and not to specific passages (except in the case of periodical ariticles), making specific assertions difficult to verify. Obviously intended as a freshman or sophomore college text, it is overpriced and underuseful.

Far more helpful than this vacuous tome is the Worldwatch Institute series "State of the World," issued every year on selected topics edited by Lester R. Brown, with a variety of individually written well-footnoted articles, each on a specific aspect of development and its effects on the environment and people all over the earth. These volumes will remain useful for years to come, and you can get three of the latest books in the series for less than the cost of "An Introduction to Ecological Economics," which you won't want to keep after reading anyway.

An anticipated merge of economics with the environment.......2000-06-13

Ecological economics is concerned with extending and integrating the study and management of "nature's household" (ecology) and "humankind's household" (economics). Resistance to this new perspective may come from academia as well as industry and governments. On page 10: "Today's market price to polluters for using atmospheric sink capacity for carbon dioxide disposal is zero, although the real opportunity cost may turn out to be astronomical. Economists are almost unanimous in persisting in externalizing the costs of CO2 emissions, even though by 1993 more than 180 nations had signed a treaty to internalize such costs." It would be difficult to praise this book too highly.

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Ecological Economics: An Introduction
Michael Common , and Sigrid Stagl
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521016703

Book Description

Assuming no prior knowledge of economics, this textbook is intended for interdisciplinary environmental science and management courses. The authors, who have written extensively on the economics of sustainability, combine insights from mainstream economics as well as ecological sciences. Part I explores the interdependence of the modern economy and its environment, while Part II focuses mainly on the economy and on economics. Part III reviews how national governments set policy targets and the instruments used to pursue those targets. Part IV examines international trade and institutions, and two major global threats to sustainability - climate change and biodiversity loss.

Culture and Agriculture: An Ecological Introduction to Traditional and Modern Farming Systems

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Culture and Agriculture: An Ecological Introduction to Traditional and Modern Farming Systems
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Manufacturer: Bergin & Garvey
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In the Foreword to Culture and Agriculture, distinguished anthropologist John W. Bennett writes "Dr. Schusky's book is welcome. It marks a point of maturity for anthropology's interest in agriculture, a distillation of decades of research and thought on the most important survival task facing humankind, the production of food." Although applauded by a specialist in the field, Schusky's book is specifically written for the general reader who is interested in agriculture. It offers a historical overview of the two major periods of agriculture--the Neolithic Revolution, which occurred when humans initally domesticated plants and animals, and the Neoclaric Revolution, which began the introduction of fossil fuel into agriculture in the twentieth century. Culture and Agriculture dramatizes the extensive changes that are occurring in modern agriculture due to the intensified use of fossil energy. The book details how the overdependence on fossil energy, with its looming exhaustion, is a major cause of pessimism about food production. The book also addresses the possible solutions to this scenario--conservation steps, an increase in the mix of solar energy, and an emphasis on human labor--which hold out hope for the future. Part I introduces the discovery or domestication of plants and animals (the Neolithic), along with the later use of irrigation, in order to show that most agricultural development, until the twentieth century, occurred between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago. Part II presents a brief survey of agricultural history which demonstrates that hunger had more to do with inequity in the social system than in the amounts of food produced. Agricultural history also emphasizes how little change occurred in agriculture from 5,000 years ago until the twentieth century, when the use of fossil energy revolutionized food production. In assessing the future of agricultural development, Schusky underscores the importance of economic and political policies that emphasize equity in distribution of wealth and government services. This book should appeal to the general reader interested in agriculture, rural sociology, or anthropology.

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Ecological Economics: An Introduction
Gareth Edwards-Jones , Ben Davies , and Salman S. Hussain
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 0865427968

Book Description

This book presents a coherent introduction to the principles underpinning the relatively young discipline of ecological economics, and the interactions between ecological and economic systems. It is intended for undergraduate students taking courses in ecological economics, environmental science, biology, agriculture and ecology.

An Introduction to Ecological Economics.(Review): An article from: Journal of Economic Issues

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An Introduction to Ecological Economics.(Review): An article from: Journal of Economic Issues
Daniel A. Underwood
Manufacturer: Association for Evolutionary Economics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098O2R0
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Economic Issues, published by Association for Evolutionary Economics on March 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1309 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: An Introduction to Ecological Economics.(Review)
Author: Daniel A. Underwood
Publication: Journal of Economic Issues (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1999
Publisher: Association for Evolutionary Economics
Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Page: 196(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Introduction to multi-disciplinary model building [A book review from: Ecological Economics]

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Introduction to multi-disciplinary model building [A book review from: Ecological Economics]
F. Villa
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR34QS

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Tradeable risk permits to prevent future introductions of invasive alien species into the Great Lakes [An article from: Ecological Economics]

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Tradeable risk permits to prevent future introductions of invasive alien species into the Great Lakes [An article from: Ecological Economics]
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Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is a journal article from Ecological Economics, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Commercial shipping has been implicated in over 60% of new introductions of invasive alien species (IAS) in the Great Lakes since 1960, with ballast water being the primary pathway. Recent policies have shifted the focus from postinvasion controls to prevention, with the regulation of oceanic ballast exchange as the primary approach. But this approach is not very effective, and it is often unsafe. We investigate whether an IAS tradeable permit program could provide an efficient alternative, keeping in mind that: (1) not every vessel will actually emit a species, yet ex ante each vessel is a potential emitter; (2) biological emissions are highly stochastic and essentially unobservable given current monitoring technologies. Theoretical issues in the design of a trading program are considered. We then compare the cost-effectiveness of trading versus command and control to reduce the likelihood of invasion by three classes of Ponto-Caspian species that are considered potential invaders capable of causing economic damage in the Great Lakes.

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Economic and ecological productivity under British conditions: an introduction,
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Book Description

In Performance-Driven Organizational Change, Lex Donaldson, one of the leading scholars in the field of organizational theory, introduces a thought-provoking theory of performance-driven organizational change. He argues that recurrent crises of poor organizational performance are required to trigger adaptive organizational change in many aspects of the organization. Moreover, the adaptive change induced by each crisis creates the capacity for fresh organizational growth. Hence, through a series of adaptations and resulting growth spurts, the organization grows larger and more effective. He notes that while there has been much research into optimal management and human resource practices resulting in prescriptive advice, that without performance crises there is a good chance that needed organizational change will not be forthcoming.

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1986-87 production practices in cotton (Cotton production guide)
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Cotton ginning charges, harvesting practices, and selected marketing costs, 1986/87 season (ERS staff report)
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Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Commodity Economics Division
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Book Description

In order to make informed judgments about such issues, one has to consider both the science and the ethical considerations. The goal of this book is to present enough science so that readers can make an informed analysis of the issues and know what factual data are consistent (or are not consistent) with their ethical views. These chapters are not meant to provide definitive answers but rather, as the book's title states, to be springboards for discussion.

The presentation of topics follows the sequence used in most developmental biology courses. The two-chapter units address specific questions, juxtaposing the scientific "facts" (in the initial chapter) with the ethical questions (in the second chapter). While the science has been simplified and explained at the level of an introductory biology course, it successfully conveys the essential information for useful discussions. The final unit contains information and discussion about three topics—the definition of "normal," the question of genetic determinism, and the use of animals in scientific research—that predate the "embryological revolution" but remain important issues for scientists and concerned citizens alike to consider.

Customer Reviews:

Great Supplement for Bio Class or General Reader.......2005-11-24

This book is amazing. Seldom does one encounter a text that can adequately explain the complexities of our natural world in plain and approachable language. Gilbert and his two students accomplish this in Bioethics and the new embryology. Especially appreciated is the integration of religious and philosophical analysis that supplements and deepens one's understanding of the subject. Overall, great writing on a relevant topic.

A much needed book.......2005-11-06

For years I have taught a course entitled Biopolitics and for as many years I have found myself cobbling together pictures, creating my own schematics using Canvas, and otherwise playing the bricoleur because of the lack of a book such as Bioethics and the New Embryology to provide the key biological information. Now I have the book I have wished for. I can't thank Scott Gilbert and his coauthors enough for having taken on a task that needed doing. The political, moral, and economic questions that swirl around embryos, stem cells, and growing knowledge of the human genome aren't resolved by reading this book, but the discussions of those questions will be markedly improved if this book is widely read.

"Learn what is true in order to do what is right"...TH Huxley.......2005-09-06

What good advice from Thomas Huxley! These days everyone seems to have an opinion about everything, especially about stem cells and Darwinian evolution. In light of advances in our technology that allow manipulation of human reproduction and the end of life, we as a Society are reexamining our ethical positions on the subjects of life and death. Too often our judgments about the ethics of reproduction, medical treatments and dying are made without knowledge of the basic biology underlying these big issues- information that might help us decide if we have the right to alter the course of human development. Nor do we know the philosophical and religious arguments on both sides of these issues.
Scott Gilbert and colleagues have done us all an enormous service by providing the information needed to make judgments that are based on knowledge and not just emotions. Bioethics and the New Embryology was designed to be springboards for discussion. In seven units with two chapters each, these authors discuss a series of questions, including when does human life begin?, Should new reproductive technologies be regulated? Should we choose the sex of our children? Should we allow human cloning? Should we use stem cells as spare body parts? Should we modify the genes of our offspring? Should animals be used for research and under what circumstances? For each question, there is a chapter discussing the biology involved, and this is followed with another chapter discussing the political, religious or ethical issues in a balanced fashion. No answers to the dilemmas are provided, only the means to arrive at them.
Highly readable - written at the level of an entering college freshman - and full of marvelous photographs - some previously found only in medical school text-books. The reader can learn with little effort about such things as what a human fetus looks like during each week of development, how twins are formed, how animals are cloned, the techniques used for sex selection and assisted reproduction, where stem cells come from and why they do what they can do, what is normal, what is gene therapy and so much more. You will also learn about what philosophers and leaders of all religions believed in the past and what they believe now about the very problems we are concerned with today,
The book is a first of its kind - a highly accurate informative little book to be used as a basis for informed discussion of these important issues. And it is written by one of the leading developmental biologists, who has a background in religion as well; Gilbert is the author of the most popular college text book about developmental biology, so the information is accurate, as well as entertaining.
Gilbert intended the book to be used to" introduce first year college students to critical thinking about contemporary issues, for ethics units taught within Science Departments and for adult education seminars...". I sent copies to my children, to my sister who will use it as a topic for her literary club, and to close friends. It's a good gift for any thoughtful person. I am sure it will be useful everywhere for small discussion groups interested in debating some of the important issues that need some debate.

Impressive Text; Amazing Price!.......2005-07-30

At long last, here is a biology text that raises challenging questions of ethical legal and social implications in a serious and meaningful way. All too often, these vitally important issues are used to decorate an undergraduate textbook with sidebars trying to impart "relevance" to "the material" of the course. This text places all of its content in the social and historical context necessary for the understanding both of the science and of its place in the larger scheme of things. I know of no other book that does the job better.

The book is clearly and attractively designed, and well illustrated in color (and occasionally B&W). But the most amazing feature is the price. Finally, here is a book that students will not resent buying, and can affordably be added as a supplemental textbook to any course. (Although there is probably enough here to cover at least half of a semester in an introductory course for non-majors.)

If you are selecting books for your course, be sure to take a look at this one!

If you are no longer a student, but want to learn about the new world of stem cells, clones, genomes, reproductive technologies, and what such things mean in our daily lives, BUY THIS BOOK!

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