Modeling the Environment: An Introduction To System Dynamics Modeling Of Environmental Systems

Book Description

Modeling the Environment is the first introductory textbook for a technique of rapidly growing importance. It requires little or no mathematical background, and is appropriate for undergraduate environmental students as well as professionals new to modelling. Developed from the author's own introductory course, it is classroom-tested and represents an important contribution to the field of system dynamics.

Modeling techniques that allow managers and researchers to see in advance the consequences of actions and policies are becoming increasingly important to environmental management. The models produced are vital analytical tools that aid the policy-setting and implementation process, and help us to understand how environmental systems respond to management interventions.

Modeling the Environment is a basic introduction to one of the most widely known and used modeling techniques, system dynamics. The book is designed to build the skills of students as they progress from learning fundamental ideas to constructing models of increasing complexity. Written in a clear and comprehensible style, the book:

presents basic concepts of modeling using system dynamics
illustrates the mechanics of model construction through a range of working models
offers a rich array of exercises for students to use in applying the principles and techniques described in the text
walks students through the design and application of models of specific types of environmental systems

In addition, the book contains more than 300 figures and model illustrations, and provides a guide to an interactive website where students can use the text to "navigate" management flight simulators ? models of both real and hypothetical systems developed by the author. The book also contains appendixes that help students review the necessary math, and which provide additional concepts and exercises for further study.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book for Anyone.......2006-12-12

This is a great book for anyone who wants to gain a thorough understanding of Stella software. The book is easy to read, and the examples and case studies are well chosen.

Great interdisciplinary book on environmental modeling.......2000-05-24

A highly readable introduction to environmental modeling. What distinguishes the book from other environmental science and environmental modeling works is its interdisciplinary treatment. In particular, the models integrate the physical world and the world of human behavior. Far too many environmental models fail to close the feedbacks between human behavior and the state of the environment, instead taking waste inputs or resource use as exogenous. This book helps students learn to model human behavior (social and economic) as an integral part of the ecological system. The models and software mean the book encourages active learning, and enable students to explore important issues on their own if they choose.

Modeling the Environment.......2000-04-24

This book is easy to read and contains clear examples of how to use stella software to model the environment. The marvel here is the software, not the book. For the software timid, it might suppliment the software users guide.

Global Issues for Global Citizens: An Introduction to Key Development Challenges

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Excellent

Global Issues for Global Citizens: An Introduction to Key Development Challenges

Manufacturer: World Bank Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good
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Critical Issues in Global Health

ASIN: 0821367315

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-09-21

I received the book in excellent condition. I also received it in a very timely manner packaged well.

Average customer rating:

too simplistic for the well-informed
An anticipated merge of economics with the environment

An Introduction to Ecological Economics
Robert Costanza , John H Cumberland , Herman Daly , Robert Goodland , and Richard B Norgaard
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications
Ecological Economics: A Workbook For Problem-Based Learning
Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics
Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development
The Local Politics of Global Sustainability

ASIN: 1884015727

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.

Average customer rating:

Excellent one volume intro to how all the issues connect.

Global Issues: An Introduction
John L. Seitz
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Women of Deh Koh: Lives in an Iranian Village

ASIN: 0631226427

Book Description

The new edition of this text has been fully updated throughout and features expanded sections on issues such as global warming, biotechnology, and energy.Global Issues is an introduction to the nature and background of some of the central issues - economic, social, political, environmental - of modern times. It will provide the basis for a stimulating course for beginning students in departments of geography, politics, sociology and environmental science. The book opens with an overview of the complex political, cultural and natural origins of world problems and of why some nations are rich and some are poor. The author then discusses in depth such issues as population growth, hunger, the extinction of species, global warming and climatic change, ozone depletion, energy conservation, deforestation, and the misuse of technology.The book covers a range of perspectives on a variety of societies, developed and developing. The author writes clearly, stressing the need, by argument and by exemplification, for informed, critical thinking. Students are shown both the decisions that have been made - and the resulting failures and successes - and the choices that must now be faced if crucial problems are to be solved.The book is extensively illustrated with diagrams and photographs, contains guides to further reading, media, and internet resources, and includes suggestions for discussion and studying the material.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent one volume intro to how all the issues connect........1999-05-04

I used this book as text for high school "Global Studies" courses, and thought it was terrific in its understandable but not watered down treatment of the big issues -- war, hunger, women's rights, population, environment, etc. Shows how these issues relate to each other. It was a stretch for 9th graders, but would be perfect for high school seniors or college intro.

An Introduction to Sustainable Development (Routledge Perspectives on Development)

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An Introduction to Sustainable Development (Routledge Perspectives on Development)
J. Elliot
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0415335582

Book Description

Sustainable development continues to be the key idea around which environment and development are structured. This extensively revised third edition continues to provide a concise, accessible introduction to the ideas behind and the practices flowing from the notion of sustainable development with a particular focus on the developing world.

The new edition has been extensively revised to highlight recent developments in the theory and practice of sustainable development. The theoretical framework underpinning the book has also been strengthened and explicit attention is now given to the significance of geography and place. It also reviews recent activity in the arena of developing indicators of sustainable development.

Containing a wealth of new case studies from across the globe, discussion question, guides for further reading and a glossary, this text provides an invaluable introduction to the characteristics, challenges and opportunities of sustainable development.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment: An Introduction

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Environmental and Social Impact Assessment: An Introduction
C. J. Barrow
Manufacturer: A Hodder Arnold Publication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0340662727

Book Description

This new introduction to impact assessment examines the tools and approaches which try to ensure that the process of development follows the best possible course. Presupposing no prior knowledge of the subject it considers the concepts, methods and practice of impact assessment, and outlines its capabilities, characteristics and limitations. The book includes coverage of both environmental and social impact assessment and emphasizes the importance of their use in advance of the decision-making process. An extensive bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of terms are also provided. Whether from a science or a social science background, Chris Barrow's accessible new text is essential reading for those approaching the subject for the first time.

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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.

Natural Resource Economics: An Introduction

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Valuation of nature....

Natural Resource Economics: An Introduction
Barry C. Field
Manufacturer: Waveland Pr Inc
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Binding: Paperback

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Environmental Economics
The RFF Reader in Environmental and Resource Policy (RFF Press)
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (7th Edition)
The Theory of Environmental Policy
Understanding Econometrics with Economic Applications

ASIN: 157766390X
Release Date: 2005-04-04

Book Description

The relationship between humans and the natural world plays a major role in contemporary society. Whether one believes that current natural resource policies threaten our welfare or that the scarcities facing us can be overcome with sufficient effort and ingenuity, it is clear that decisions on resource use will affect the future of people around the globe. Those decisions are best framed and analyzed within the context of natural resource economics. In this successful, well-received volume, Field focuses on resource valuation, economic incentives, and the institutional arrangements that result in desired utilization and conservation decisions. He begins with basic economic principles, laying a foundation for discussion of general natural resource use and then moving on to particular natural resources. The book closes looking at natural resource issues in developing countries. Each chapter ends with a summary, key words, probing questions, and brief lists of Web! sites and additional sources.

Customer Reviews:

Valuation of nature...........2005-10-25

This is an excellent introductory text for the field of environmental economics and is an excellent starting point for anyone attempting to assess the value of the natural environment or understand an existing assessment. Easily digestable material and very good introduction.

Tools for Environment Management: A Practical Introduction And Guide

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Tools for Environment Management: A Practical Introduction And Guide

Manufacturer: University of Calgary Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0889532893

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Environmental Policy: An Introduction
Barry C. Field
Manufacturer: Waveland Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1577664280

Book Description

Nations throughout the world are struggling to limit and manage environmental damages stemming from economic production and consumption. In virtually every country, collective action in the form of public policy has been undertaken to rein in these impacts. This text provides an authoritative overview of the dynamic process through which governments make decisions on environmental matters. In clear, reader-friendly language, Field introduces students to the rudiments of the public policy process, the participants and their roles, and the content of the major federal environmental statutes regarding air, water, and land pollution. Throughout the discussion, Field explores the evolving role of the federal government in U.S. environmental policy. He also highlights important ongoing policy issues, both domestic and international, that will confront policy makers well into the future.

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