Economics of the Environment

Theory and Policy

Authors: Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Horst Siebert, Professor Stephen Muller

Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" , Springer Professional "Technik"

About this book

„The labor of nature is paid, not because she does much, but because she does little. In proportion as she becomes niggardly in her gifts, she exacts a greater price for her work. Where she is munificently bene- cent, she always works gratis.“ David Ricardo* This book interprets nature and the environment as a scarce resource. Whereas in the past people lived in a paradise of environmental superabundance, at p- sent environmental goods and services are no longer in ample supply. The en- ronment fulfills many functions for the economy: it serves as a public-c- sumption good, as a provider of natural resources, and as receptacle of waste. These different functions compete with each other. Releasing more pollutants into the environment reduces environmental quality, and a better environm- tal quality implies that the environment’s use as a receptacle of waste has to be restrained. Consequently, environmental disruption and environmental use are by nature allocation problems. This is the basic message of this book.

Frontmatter

Introduction

1. The Problem

2. Using the Environment — An Allocation Problem

Environmental Allocation in Time and under Uncertainty

Backmatter

Title: Economics of the Environment
Authors: Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Horst Siebert
Professor Stephen Muller
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-540-26777-5
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-22061-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/b138051

Springer Professional

Economics of the Environment

Theory and Policy

About this book

Table of Contents

Frontmatter

Introduction

1. The Problem

2. Using the Environment — An Allocation Problem

Static Allocation Aspect

3. Production Theory and Transformation Space

4. Optimal Environmental Use

5. Environmental Quality as a Public Good

6. Property-Rights Approach to the Environmental Problem

Environmental-Policy Instruments

7. Incidence of an Emission Tax

8. Policy Instruments

9. Policy Instruments and the Casuistics of Pollution

10. The Political Economy of Environmental Scarcity

Environmental Allocation in Space

11. Environmental Endowment, Competitiveness and Trade

12. Transfrontier Pollution

13. Global Environmental Media

14. Regional Aspects of Environmental Allocation

Environmental Allocation in Time and under Uncertainty

15. Long-Term Aspects of Environmental Quality

16. Economic Growth, Sustainability and Environmental Quality

17. Risk and Environmental Allocation

Backmatter