Environmental Economics: The Essentials

Environmental Economics: The Essentials offers a policy-oriented approach to the increasingly influential field of environmental economics that is based upon a solid foundation of economic theory and empirical research. Students will not only leave the course with a firm understanding of environmental economics, but they will also be exposed to a number of case studies showing how underlying economic principles provided the foundation for specific environmental and resource policies. This key text highlights what insights can be derived from the actual experience.

Key features include:

• Extensive coverage of the major issues including climate change, air and water pollution, sustainable development, and environmental justice;
• Introductions to the theory and method of environmental economics including externalities, experimental and behavioral economics, benefit-cost analysis, and methods for valuing the services provided by the environment;
• Boxed ?Examples? and ?Debates? throughout the text which highlight global examples and major talking points.

The text is fully supported with end-of-chapter summaries, discussion questions, and self-test exercises in the book, as well as with multiple-choice questions, simulations, references, slides, and an instructor?s manual on the Companion Website. This text is adapted from the best-selling Environmental and Natural Resource Economics,11th edition, by the same authors.

Preface. An Overview of the Book. 1. Visions of the Future. 2. The Economic Approach: Property Rights, Externalities, and Environmental Problems. 3. Evaluating Trade-Offs: Benefit-Cost Analysis and Other Decision-Making Metrics. 4. Valuing the Environment: Methods. 5. Economics of Pollution Control: An Overview. 6. Stationary-Source Local and Regional Air Pollution. 7. Mobile-Source Air Pollution. 8. Climate Change. 9. Water Pollution. 10. Toxic Substances and Environmental Justice. 11. The Quest for Sustainable Development. 12. Visions of the Future Revisited. Answers to Self-Test Exercises. Glossary. Index

Tom Tietenberg is the Mitchell Family Professor of Economics, Emeritus at Colby College, Maine, USA.

Lynne Lewisis Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics at Bates College, Maine, USA.