What Environmentalists Need to Know About Economics [Paperback]

Easy-to-read and filled with real-world examples of the most complex environmental challenges, this book demonstrates that sound economic analysis and reasoning can be one of the environmental community's strongest allies. This is sure to become an invaluable resource for students, environmental organizations, and policymakers.Introduction PART I: HOW ECONOMISTS APPROACH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The Root Causes of Environmental Problems Determining the 'Optimum' Amount of Pollution Valuing Ecosystems Putting Monetary Values on the Environment and Living Things Valuing Future Generations Tools to Address Environmental Problems PART II: PUTTING ECONOMIC ANALYSIS TO WORK Climate Change Conservation and Biodiversity Preservation Agriculture Chemical Pollution Fisheries Deforestation Population Growth & Technological Change Demand-Side Interventions Final Thoughts& Additional Resources Comprehensive Reference List

Environmentalists need to understand how markets work (just as it would sure help if economists had some idea how biological systems functioned). This book introduces many of the themes that environmental economists work with, some of which will need to come into play if we're going to deal with catastrophes like climate change. - Bill McKibben, author Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

Economics continues to be one of the most powerful, yet misunderstood tools for environmental management and conservation. Jason Scorse's book will help anyone who cares about the environment move beyond simple ideas of money to understand how economic factors affect the environment and how the environment affects the economic wellbeing of all people. - Linwood Pendelton, Director of Ocean and Coastal Policy, The Nicholas Institute at Duke University

Scorse provides an easy-to-read, non-technical primer on how the problems we face today as environmentalists are fundamentally economic in nature. Excellent background forlĻ