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Economy - Energy - Environment Simulation: Beyond the Kyoto Protocol (Economy & Environment)
Manufacturer: Springer ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 1402004508 |
Book Description
The volume is based on a policy simulation model linking sixty countries and regions at a detailed industrial level, covering 99.5% of the world's economic activities. Country models are linked by trade matrices that explicitly describe annual trade flow among world regions. Energy demand and supply is explained in response to changing prices reflecting emission trading and other market-oriented policy instruments. The impact on global environment is gauged through CO 2 emission.
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Limited Wants, Unlimited Means: A Reader On Hunter-Gatherer Economics And The Environment
Manufacturer: Island Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 155963555X |
Book Description
For roughly 99% of their existence on earth, Homo sapiens lived in small bands of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, finding everything they needed to survive and thrive in the biological richness that surrounded them. Most if not all of the problems that threaten our own technologically advanced society - from depletion of natural capital to the ever-present possibility of global annihilation-would be inconceivable to these traditional, immediate-return societies. In fact, hunter-gatherer societies appear to have solved problems of production, distribution, and social and environmental sustainability that our own culture seems incapable of addressing.
Limited Wants, Unlimited Means examines the hunter-gatherer society and lifestyle from a variety of perspectives. It provides a brief introduction to the rich anthropological and sociological literature on non-agricultural societies, bringing together in one volume seminal writings on the few remaining hunter-gatherer cultures including, the !Kung, the Hadza, and the Aborigines. It examines the economics of traditional societies, and concludes with a multifaceted investigation of how such societies function and what they can teach us in our own quest for environmental sustainability and social equality.
Limited Wants, Unlimited Means is an important work for students of cultural anthropology, economic anthropology, environmental studies, and sustainable development, as well as for professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in prehistoric societies, environmental sustainability, or social justice.
Customer Reviews:
highly underrated reader.......2006-08-25
its ok if you are an economist.......2001-10-05
insightful and timely.......1998-04-06
The main thrust of the book is that primitive cultures had found a way of living on this planet that was sustainable, but in the neolithic era our farming ancestors abandoned this way of living for a much more ardous life-style that is ecologically unsustainable. What was the basis for this change? This book explores some of the canonical assumptions in our economic thought and how it differs fundamentally from that of primitive cultures. This is a great starting point for anyone interested in paradigms for sustainable development. References and further reading lists are particularly useful.
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The New Politics of American Trade : Trade Labor and the Environment (Policy Analyses in International Economics)
I. M. Destler , Peter J. Balint , and Institute for International Economics (U. S.) Manufacturer: Institute for International Economics ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0881322695 |
Book Description
"The New Politics of American Trade: Trade, Labor and the Environment", supplement to "American Trade Politics" by I.M. Destler and Peter J. Balint, shows how trade advocates and labor and environmental skeptics differ significantly in both their substantive views and their political and organizational cultures. The authors demonstrate how this new challenge differs from that of traditional trade protectionism, likening it instead to the debate a century ago over whether and how to regulate American capitalism for social purposes. The analysis leads to a set of recommendations aimed at constructive compromise and a new political foundation for US trade policy leadership.The New Politics of American Trade: Trade, Labor, and the Environment ISBN 0881322695
American Trade Politics, 3rd Edition ISBN: 0881322156
American Trade Politics and New Politics of American Trade Supplement, ISBN 088132292X
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Greening the Built Environment
Nick Williams , Maf Smith , and John Whitelegg Manufacturer: Earthscan ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1853834033 |
Customer Reviews:
A must-read for anyone interested in urban change........2001-11-13
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Environmental Politics in Japan, Germany, and the United States
Miranda A. Schreurs Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0521525373 |
Book Description
A decade of climate change negotiations almost ended in failure because of the different policy approaches of such industrialized states as Japan, Germany, and the United States. They exemplify the deep divisions that exist among states in their approaches to environmental protection. Miranda Schreurs reveals how the different approaches have arisen by presenting case studies of policy making in response to acid rain, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global climate change. The book demonstrates why looking at domestic policy making is important in understanding international environmental negotiation outcomes.Download Description
A decade of climate change negotiations almost ended in failure because of the different policy approaches of the industrialized states. Japan, Germany, and the United States exemplify the deep divisions that exist among states in their approaches to environmental protection. Germany is following what could be called the green social welfare state approach to environmental protection, which is increasingly guided by what is known as the precautionary principle. In contrast, the US is increasingly leaning away from the use of environmental regulations, towards the use of market-based mechanisms to control pollution and cost-benefit analysis to determine when environmental protection should take precedence over economic activities. Internal political divisions mean that Japan sits uneasily between these two approaches. Miranda A. Schreurs uses a variety of case studies to explore why these different policy approaches emerged and what their implications are, examining the differing ideas, actors, and institutions in each state.
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Paths to a Green World: The Political Economy of the Global Environment
Jennifer Clapp , and Peter Dauvergne Manufacturer: The MIT Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0262532719 |
Book Description
This comprehensive and accessible text fills the need for a political economy view of global environmental politics, focusing on the ways key economic processes affect environmental outcomes. It examines the main actors and forces shaping global environmental management, particularly in the developing world. Moving beyond the usual academic emphasis on international agreements and institutions, it strives to integrate debates within the real world of global policy and the academic world of theory.Customer Reviews:
Economic Theory for Environmental Policy.......2007-03-30
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Once There Were Greenfields: How Urban Sprawl is Undermining America's Environment, Economy, and Social Fabric
F. Kaid Benfield , Matthew Raimi , and Donald D. T. Chen Manufacturer: Nrdc ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1893340171 |
Book Description
Once There Were Greenfields describes the environmental, economic, and social impacts of sprawl development. It also proposes guiding principles for a new kind of "smart growth."Customer Reviews:
American individualism run amok.......2002-09-01
With thorough documentation, charts and illustrations to support the author's work, one can easily imagine the book serving well as an introductory college textbook on the subject. It should also be welcomed by community activists and concerned citizens alike who may want to prepare themselves for intelligent discussion and engagement when faced with the problem of sprawl in their own local communities.
The authors discuss the numerous reasons why sprawl has become such a big problem in our country. Of course the closely related and interconnected topics of the American love affair with the automobile, the building of the interstate highway system and the dismantling of big city public transportation systems by General Motors are cited as factors that enabled and encouraged the post-WW II mass exodus from most major cities to their surrounding suburban areas. But the authors also point out that uncoordinated local governments generally make it difficult for America to develop comprehensive land use policies, allowing land developers and corporations to run amok and get what they wanted with respect to tax breaks, permits, and so on.
The end result is that businesses have found it only too easy to relocate to cheaper land outside the core cities (if not to foreign countries), setting in motion a cycle of urban decline that pushes even more people to the suburbs and the inexpensive houses available there.
The authors don't blame Americans for desiring the relatively clean air, open spaces, and safe schools and neighborhoods that suburbia purports to offer. But as the boundaries push ever outward, the benefits become ever more difficult to attain and a myriad of new problems emerge. For example, commuting costs -- in terms of both time and money -- can wipe out much of the savings on housing. The problem is compounded by the deleterious effects of stress to the psyche that are associated with driving ever longer distances to work. All of this extra driving also contributes enormously to the problems of both global warming and local air pollution. Significantly, local government budgets quickly become depleted trying to keep up with spiraling highway construction and maintenance costs.
The authors suggest remedies and also allude to success stories in places such as Portland, Oregon, the State of Maryland, and Europe to discuss some of the alternatives that may help contain sprawl. In each case, it seems that revitalizing and creating a truly livable inner city is integral to creating a winning strategy.
Whether the U.S. can truly reverse sprawl before most of its open spaces are consumed remain an open question, of course. One suspects that regional planners acting in the community's interest will have a tougher time reigining in the rugged, individualistic American than his or her European counterpart. But one has to wonder whether continuing to consume every two years over one million acres of open lands -- much of it valuable and irreplacable farmlands and wetlands -- should rightly be called progress, and what the consequences of this unwritten policy of perpetual destruction might hold for us in the long run.
In brief, this excellent book contains much for us to think about. It provides guidance and inspiration to those among us who dare to believe that a stronger community, a better environment, and a higher quality of life may indeed be possible without sprawl. Highly recommended.
Well-researched book on the pric e of sprawl.......2002-05-08
a brief against suburban sprawl.......2000-02-29
It does have some imperfections: it is very focused on environmental issues, so I wouldn't pretend that it is the definitive guide on other sprawl related problems (e.g. social justice issues), though it does address such issues to some extent. Also, I think it is a bit more biased towards "big government" solutions to sprawl than I would be if I were writing a book on the subject. But by and large, I recommend it.
The definitive guide to sprawl and its solutions........1999-04-16
"Once There Were Greenfields" provides a comprehensive review of sprawl: its causes, its consequences, and most importantly, its solutions. If Benfield's book had been printed 50 years ago, perhaps much of the destruction of America's farms and city centers would have been avoided.
The book reviews a number of public policies that favor unlimited consumption of land and drive development out of America's cities. Benfield reminds us that while most of the policy decisions that lead to sprawl are made at the state and local level, these decisions are often based on economic incentives created by federal activity. The sad fact is that our current patterns of low-density development are the result of fifty years of government policy decisions, direct government funding, and government-influenced private finance and credit decisions. In most American cities, the mix of these policies and market forces creates a strong economic push toward an ever-expanding suburbia at the expense of our core urban and inner suburban areas.
The results of sprawl have been disastrous for environmental quality and for the economic well-being of cities. Sprawl is even costly to suburban residents that unknowingly subsidize the process, such as the paving of more than one million acres of farmland per year, through increases in their property taxes and other mechanisms.
Despite the book's detailed review of policies ranging from taxation and transportation to agriculture and water quality, it remains extremely accessible. Newcomers to the issue that Vice President Gore has termed "Livability" will find "'Greenfields" a thoughtfully balanced primer. Land use professionals will appreciate the professionalism of the research and wealth of useful citations.
This book is a must-read for policy makers and citizen activists alike that wish to improve their quality of life. If you've been looking for a single source of all the most important -- and most disturbing -- facts about sprawl, Benfield and his associates have produced it.
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International Governance: Protecting the Environment in a Stateless Society (Cornell Studies in Political Economy)
Oran R. Young Manufacturer: Cornell University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0801481767 |
Book Description
How can the global environment be safeguarded in the absence of a world government? In the vanguard of efforts to address this critical question, Oran R. Young draws on environmental issues to explore the nature of international governance. Young's analysis invokes the distinction between "governance," a social function involving the management of interdependent individuals or groups, and "government," a set of formal organizations that makes and enforces rules.
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Exploring the Gaps: Vital Links Between Trade, Environment and Culture
James R. Lee Manufacturer: Kumarian Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1565491149 |
Book Description
Today's dramatic globalization parallels earlier historical periods of rapid technological change that brought contested benefits and costs. James Lee argues that the current pace of technological change is on a collision course with the human ability to absorb it, but that we can learn lessons from the past to help us resolve todays' problems.Exploring the Gaps looks at how the growing tensions between economic, ecological and social factors threaten our ability to make trade and cultural exchanges work to benefit people and the world around them. Through case studies collected by the Trade Environment Database Project, Lee's powerful argument provides a blueprint to meet the challenges of elemental reintegration at global and local levels. It will interest anyone concerned with the issues of development, environment, globalization and political economy.
Customer Reviews:
Recommended and informative for students of global trade.......2001-01-11
A must read in this age of globalization and e-commerce.......2000-11-16
While many might suspect it to be purely academic, everyone from the dot-com manager to the international businessman will benefit from this book. International Trade, and Electronic Trade are not mutually exclusive terms anymore. This book makes that clearer than ever.
The historical perspectives offered here confirm that this process started ages before the "dot-com age". This historical context is invaluable. This is as much a history book as it is a book about the present and the future. There aren't many works that marry economics, anthropology, sociology, history and geography in such a fascinating manner, with implications for today's e-world.
One recommendation would be to have a few more graphics, but when read in conjunction with the websites listed, this book really does come alive in a sense.
The globalization debate and discourse is richer for this book.
A must read in this age of globalization and e-commerce.......2000-11-16
While many might suspect it to be purely academic, everyone from the dot-com manager to the international businessman will benefit from this book. International Trade, and Electronic Trade are not mutually exclusive terms anymore. This book makes that clearer than ever.
The historical perspectives offered here confirm that this process started ages before the "dot-com age". This historical context is invaluable. This is as much a history book as it is a book about the present and the future. There aren't many works that marry economics, anthropology, sociology, history and geography in such a fascinating manner, with implications for today's e-world.
One recommendation would be to have a few more graphics, but when read in conjunction with the websites listed, this book really does come alive in a sense.
The globalization debate and discourse ir richer for this book.
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The Ecology of Place: Planning for Environment, Economy, and Community
Timothy Beatley , and Kristy Manning Manufacturer: Island Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1559634782 |
Book Description
Current patterns of land use and development are at once socially, economically, and environmentally destructive. Sprawling low-density development literally devours natural landscapes while breeding a pervasive sense of social isolation and exacerbating a vast array of economic problems. As more and more counties begin to look more and more the same, hope for a different future may seem to be fading. But alternatives do exist.
The Ecology of Place, Timothy Beatley and Kristy Manning describe a world in which land is consumed sparingly, cities and towns are vibrant and green, local economies thrive, and citizens work together to create places of eduring value. They present a holistic and compelling approach to repairing and enhancing communities, introducing a vision of "sustainable places" that extends beyond traditional architecture and urban design to consider not just the physical layout of a development but the broad set of ways in which communities are organized and operate. Chapters examine:
The authors address a variety of policy and development issues that affect a community-from its economic base to its transit options to the ways in which its streets and public spaces are managed-and examine the wide range of programs, policies, and creative ideas that can be used to turn the vision of sustainable places into reality.
The Ecology of Place is a timely resource for planners, economic development specialists, students, and citizen activists working toward establishing healthier and more sustainable patterns of growth and development.
Customer Reviews:
comprehensive evaluation how to create sustainable community.......1999-08-29
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