Search

Pirgmaier's paper "The value of value theory for ecological economics" is a plea to ecological economists to take a greater interest in value theory and, in particular, to appreciate the Marxian labour theory of value. This paper first criticises this view and then proceeds to outline an alternative perspective, which suggests that the focus on value should be replaced by a focus on valuation processes and the role these processes play in the appropriation of goods and services. Furthermore, the importance of biophysical measures as a critical tool is emphasised, both to highlight exploitation and to promote understandings that can support sustainability transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a perspective on the potential of Chinese ecological agriculture to address sustainable human–environmental interactions. As Chinese agriculture is increasingly challenged by the constraints of population, resources and environment emerging from its modern development, it is imperative to explore a sustainable agricultural paradigm that could accommodate economic and socio-cultural needs within an already stressed natural resource base. The rise of ecological agriculture is suggested as a workable alternative that has the potential to mitigate negative impacts of modern conventional agriculture and at the same time, to overcome limitations of traditional agriculture in meeting the needs of China''s growing population. Ecological agriculture represents a site-specific manifestation of the application of ecological economics, among others, to agricultural practices. Some challenges being experienced in translating this rhetoric into practice are identified and discussed. Highlighted is the view that sustainable agricultural development is meaningful only when it is tailored to specific ecological, economic, political and socio-cultural settings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper takes stock of the achievements and gaps of the emerging field of ecological macroeconomics, which has brought insights from specific schools of macroeconomics—most notably post-Keynesian—to ecological economics, with a strong emphasis on the endogeneity of money. Ecological macroeconomics has proposed fiscal, monetary and prudential reforms to boost 'green' investments, and developed new modeling frameworks to explore the interactions between the financial, macroeconomic and biophysical spheres. While these proposals open a broader range of possibilities to engage in a socio-ecological transition than those offered by the current paradigm of a financialized global economy, they paradoxically suffer from similar limitations. By placing much faith in 'green' investments, they impose a vision of the transition that presents strong technical and institutional limitations. The field also fails to revisit its own understanding of macroeconomics and of specific phenomena—e.g. financial instability—through a biophysical lens, in spite of increasing transdisciplinary evidence supporting this approach. We suggest overcoming these limitations through institutionalist perspectives that understand money as a language through which value is created and legitimized. Those perspectives seem essential to re-embed the governance of money within a worldview that acknowledges the finiteness and incommensurable values of Earth's life support systems. • This paper examines ecological macroeconomics' (EM) foundations and policy proposals. • EM brings critical insights on endogenous money theory to ecological economics (EE). • Yet, it places too much faith in the 'capabilities' of so-called 'green' investments. • It also fails to revisit the foundations of macroeconomics through insights from EE. • Overcoming these limitations requires integrating institutional approaches to money. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we critically assess common perceptions of work to inform current debates on work in ecological economics. Work is usually conceived as (1) a productive activity (2) that satisfies consumer demand, (3) is conducive to health and well-being, and (4) ensures social inclusion and personal development. Drawing on the burgeoning literature of postwork or critiques of work, we argue that work may rather be understood as a biophysically intense, consumption-causing, heteronomous institution with ambivalent health impacts that stabilises societies in environmentally and socially unsustainable ways. Therefore, work should be radically reduced and organised differently so that it is no longer the main mechanism for livelihood provisioning and social inclusion. Based on our fourfold critique of work developed in this paper, we sketch out a postwork research agenda for ecological economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper aims firstly to provide a conceptual overview on the two main objectives that should be addressed when modifying international environmental law and subordinated law in a more sustainable direction in the sense of Ecological Economics. This first aim is addressed based on ongoing research on '3-D Sustainability', a concept providing decision-making support for priority setting between environmental, social and economic dimensions within sustainable development. The two main objectives identified within this aim are to stay by means of international environmental law within the ecologically sustainable scale and to legally define flexible trade-off mechanisms, which better deal with conflicts of interests among the three sustainability dimensions. Secondly, the paper strives to identify ways to further strengthen the application of the existing international law in this respect. Thus, several innovative mechanisms within international law are identified that overcome current implementation and enforcement deadlocks, without necessarily changing the existing law, in order to serve a sustainable development in the sense of Ecological Economics. Highlights • Elaborates the relationship among Ecological Economics, Sustainable Development and Law • Provides proposals for improved sustainable law- and decision-making • Summarizes proposals for improved legal implementation based on existing law • Embeds proposals for new law as well as based on existing law into an overall sustainability concept [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological economics has long claimed distributive justice as a central tenet, yet discussions of equity and justice have received relatively little attention over the history of the field. While ecological economics has aspired to be transdisciplinary, its framing of justice is hardly pluralistic. Feminist perspectives and justice frameworks offer a structure for appraising the human condition that bridges social and ecological issues. Through a brief overview of the uptake of feminist perspectives in other social sciences, this paper outlines an initial justice-integration strategy for ecological economics by providing both a point of entry for readers to the vast and diverse field of feminist economic thought, as well as a context for the process of disciplinary evolution in social sciences. We also critique ecological economics' toleration of neoclassical mainstays such as individualism that run counter to justice goals. The paper concludes with a call for ecological economics practitioners and theorists to learn from other social sciences and elevate their attention to justice, to open possibilities for more dynamic, interdisciplinary, community-oriented, and pluralistic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biophysical Economics is a school of thought in heterodox economics built on the premise of the primacy of energy in the economic process. Despite significant progress made in the methodology of net-energy analysis, the literature on the relationships (if any) between the biophysical properties of energy sources, such as net-energy ratios, and financial indicators (price, cost, etc.) is scant. Are the biophysical qualities of energy sources reflected by market signals? As such, can the latter guide decision-making in the context of the ongoing depletion of non-renewable energy resources? The paper examines the relationships between the net-energy ratios and price, cost of production and price-to-cost ratios of the Canadian oil sands produced via open-pit mining from 1997 to 2016. A simple econometric model is developed to estimate the correlation between the standard Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROIst) with the price, cost of production and price-to-cost ratio of diluted bitumen and synthetic crude over a 20-year period. Preliminary results suggest the absence of correlation between any pair of biophysical and financial variables. No discernable correlation is identified between the EROIst and financial indicators of either crude stream, suggesting biophysical and financial properties to be sui generis realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary is a practice expert essay based on review of scientific papers on phosphorus scarcity that provides a resumé of arguments relating to adequacy of phosphate rock (PR) resources to supply future requirements and an explanation as to why, although we cannot know how much will be available in future, we can say that the static lifetime is much more likely to be of the order of hundreds or even thousands of years rather than decades. Once the knowable facts are established, a case can be made for moving towards increased phosphate recycling and loss-reduction, based on the current inefficient use and the consequential harm done to the environment. Whilst these concerns are understandable, given that phosphate resources are finite and unsubstitutable, it is important to derive a true perspective in order that the most efficient use of financial and human resources can be deployed by governments. An assertion in 2010 that phosphorus mining would begin to be resource-constrained within decades proved false, but continues to be referred to by those advocating resource governance. Such assertions, when proved not to be accurate, run the risk of validating a 'cornucopian' view of mineral resource adequacy and diminish the tenets of ecological economics which, among other things, prescribe a move towards a circular economy, by cutting losses in the supply chain and increasing recycling. The phosphate supply industry has generally been less concerned about potential resource constrains than the academic community. It is true that, apart from a few larger state-owned producers, this lack of concern partly results from the industry's shorter-term economically-driven perspective which tends towards the cornucopian view. This short-term perspective of the commercial industry is at odds with the long-term mitigation of the impacts of mining that is a feature of ecological economics. In the phosphate industry mining and chemical processing has certainly led to major negative environmental legacies and impacts being deferred to future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This transdisciplinary research aims to propose one path, among multiple paths, to transcend the nature/society dichotomy in ecological economics, through an ecology of knowledge between Sumak Kawsay —an Andean indigenous cosmovision—and the epistemology of complexity. A qualitative methodology has been used, which includes a critical revision of scholarship on Sumak Kawsay , the definition of nature, complexity, complex systems, and the epistemology of complexity. This effort points to a critique of the conception of nature held by 'traditional science'; one that has also resulted in the nature/society dichotomy as an epistemic basis within ecological economics. Thus, an epistemic convergence between Sumak Kawsay and the epistemology of complexity is advocated not only to disregard the nature/society dichotomy in ecological economics but also to include ancestral indigenous principles and values in knowledge production. In conclusion, such a dialogue between Sumak Kawsay and the epistemology of complexity could transcend the nature/society dichotomy within ecological economics by including notions like Pacha Mama and socio-ecological systems. It also has the potential to influence science production by considering principles from ancestral knowledge that points towards community, inclusion, horizontality, complexity, interculturality, and trans-disciplinarity. • The paper discusses nature, Andean wisdom and science. • Explores the possibility of dialogue among complexity sciences and Andean Cultures. • The article proposes a confluence between the epistemology of complexity and Sumak Kawsay. • Confronts both social and ecological sciences boundaries and epistemology limits. • The article establishes a difference between Sumak Kawsay and Buen Vivir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing claims about the economic, social and environmental impacts of bitumen projects make Alberta's oilsands industry highly contentious. This paper uses a case study of a major bitumen project, Shell Canada's Jackpine mine expansion, to examine the evidence considered by government decision-makers in the project approval process. The project was determined to be “in the public interest” based primarily on its economic benefits, despite significant adverse environmental and social impacts. The paper evaluates the evidence that was presented to support this decision, using three criteria drawn from ecological economics: efficient allocation, just distribution, and sustainable macroeconomic scale. It finds that the evidence presented is, in fact, insufficient to justify the project on any of the three criteria. Furthermore, other studies of the bitumen industry cast doubt on the likelihood that the project would satisfy these criteria if further analysis were conducted. It concludes by recommending several measures that could help to improve decision-making on bitumen projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we argue that our current value-systems contributing to unsustainable social practices and the dominant death-denying culture have a close relationship to each other. The ways society offers to alleviate the anxiety of death are avoidance and distraction especially through consumption. Consumption in this regard aims to raise individual self-esteem and to strengthen the current version of reality. The question we address in this paper is how we can move from this unsustainable cultural pattern to more death-aware and sustainable one. This question is pertinent because experimental evidence shows that a direct confrontation with death often leads to fundamental and long-lasting behavioural and value changes. These changes are in line with those emphasised by ecological economics as the possible basis for sustainable societies. The first section of the paper discusses the social theoretical background of the topic arguing that the emphasis we put on individual, bounded self leads to a heightened sense of death anxiety. The second section discusses on the one hand Terror Management Theory, and on the other the alternative but related Transcendence Management Theory with their different emphasis on ways of coping with death anxiety. The following section provides a theoretical model integrating these two strands of research and interpreting their main conclusions at a social level. This framework is the main contribution of the paper since it not only captures the social dynamics of these different ways of coping but also offers possible ways to move towards a more death-aware and sustainable social arrangement. • Implications of terror management & transcendence management theory revisited and discussed for sustainability transitions. • Death denial maintain the impetus of the dominant consumer society seriously hindering sustainability transitions. • A model is offered on how a more death aware culture can lead to more sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the net effects of promoting renewable energies on value added and disposable income in Germany, as well as their distribution among regions and income brackets. Since its entry into force, the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has stimulated tremendous investments in renewable energy capacities by guaranteeing investors a fixed price per kWh as well as a preferred feed into the grid over electricity from conventional sources. The policy measures are financed by a surcharge on electricity prices. In recent years, a controversy has arisen about potentially negative regional and social distribution effects. In this paper, multiregional price and quantity input-output models with endogenous heterogeneous households are used to trace the indirect impacts of the EEG on value added and disposable income through the complex network of regional value chains. Our findings suggest that the generation of electricity from renewable sources itself leads to small positive impacts on industries, but leads to a significant drain on household income and has regressive distributive effects. However, investment in new capacities may possibly transform these negative impacts into a positive direction for the majority of households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vision of a steady-state economy elaborated by Herman Daly describes an economy that uses materials and energy within the regenerative and assimilative limits of the planet's ecosystems. Sustainable scale, just distribution, and efficient allocation are its constitutive theoretical goals. This paper is a critique of the theoretical foundations of steady-state economics. It argues that steady-state economics consists in an attempt to squeeze neoclassical economics into a biophysical and ethical corset. As a result, many fundamental flaws and criticisms of neoclassical economics remain. As a consequence, steady-state economics does not lead to a radical departure from, or improvement upon, neoclassical theory but rather to fundamental internal inconsistencies between the ‘old’ economics paradigm and ‘new’ progressive ecological economic thinking. Contradictions appear at various levels ranging from ontology and methodology to theory and values. As Daly has pioneered the foundations of ecological economics with his thinking, these ambiguities are not only problematic for steady-state economics but ecological economics as a field more generally. The paper concludes that ecological economics has to let go of neoclassical foundations as they contradict its core values and ambitions. A new and consistent theory of political economy of the environment along heterodox lines is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a critical appraisal of Schläpfer's (2016) proposal of a Democratic Valuation (DV) methodology to value public goods. While we appreciate attempts to address the shortcomings of conventional stated preference techniques, we have some reservations regarding DV. Our paper critically reviews the following characteristics of the proposed methodology: i) referendum format as decision-making mechanism, ii) single-dimensionality in the description of the policy issue to be valued, and iii) preference formation through provision of detailed information. Finally, we ‘calibrate’ Democratic Valuation against another alternative to conventional stated preference approaches, namely Deliberative Monetary Valuation (DMV). We argue that DMV addresses many of Schläpfer's concerns regarding stated preference techniques and at the same time avoids some of the problems generated by DV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper integrates the ideas of the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998) with the highly topical issue of sustainability reporting. Luhmann sought a detailed description of the world as a set of complex systems which he applied to ecology. We discuss the gestation and requirements of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) conceptual framework of 2013, suggesting that as finalised it has little relevance to either sustainability or ecology. Consistent with Luhmann's approach which praises for more consciousness, our research provides no instant blueprint or solution, but a coherent way of understanding and analysing the complex set of systems and sub-systems involved in the multi-capital, multi-measurement-unit, multi-stakeholder and multi-motivated current content of the sustainability issue. The paper suggests that the current field of operations may be too narrow. It provides a mental mechanism for creative forward thinking, establishing a broader framework and providing guidance and direction for this enlargement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relevance of information overload for explaining environmental degradation, insofar it can reduce individuals' awareness of the unsustainable side-effects of their choices. This "myopia" is reinforced by the increased distance from nature in everyday life brought about by the abundance of exosomatic energy. The departure point of the paper is to show that two outstanding intellectuals, engaged in very different fields, have set forth very similar reflections on the effects of information overload, namely the film director Wim Wenders and the social scientist, really a polymath, Herbert Simon, whose relevance to ecological economics has been recognised. The presentation of their ideas is then complemented by a presentation of the state of the art on information overload, which allows moving to our core argument about environmental degradation. • Information overload (IO) is a key notion both in Simon's and Wenders' works • IO and distance from nature lower awareness of environmental side effects of choice • Low awareness helps explaining environmental degradation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's 'dual carbon' strategy is of strategic importance in leading global climate governance and promoting China's high-quality and green economic development. Cities are the centres of human activities. However, these are also places where high energy consumption and high carbon emissions are concentrated. This study selected data from 192 small and medium-sized cities in mainland China for the period 2000–2020. It classified these into seven categories using the K-means clustering method, calculated the decoupling status of different types of small and medium-sized cities based on the Tapio decoupling index, and analysed the relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth in various types of small and medium-sized cities based on the EKC curve theory. Finally, the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) model was used to classify and predict the time required to achieve carbon peaking for seven types of small and medium-sized cities. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) The development status of small and medium-sized cities shows a 'geese echelon pattern'. New dynamic small and medium-sized urban areas may reach peak carbon emissions first, while resource-based small and medium-sized urban areas may be the last to do so. (2) The decoupling of carbon emissions from industrial development in small and medium-sized cities has not been completed. This manifests mainly through the states of declining decoupling, absolute decoupling, and strong negative decoupling. (3) A significant inverted U-shaped relationship exists between economic development and carbon emissions in these cities. (4) These cities may have the disadvantage of premature or excessive de-industrialisation. Additionally, these generally have an inefficient and expansionary economic development status. Therefore, this study contended for a more robust integration of a radical political economy and ecological economics to support the development of such cities in China. The paper proposes differentiated development paths and fundamental recommendations for small and medium-sized cities in the implementation of the 'double carbon' strategy. The intention is to provide theoretical guidance and implications for promoting green and low-carbon development in urban and rural areas and for the early achievement of the strategy in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There seems to be a consensus among many growth and resource economists that perpetual growth can be ensured if it gets increasingly resource-efficient and if growth focuses on creating values, a result derived by models using production functions that allow asymptotically complete decoupling of the economy from its resource base by substituting natural resources through physical and knowledge capital. This growth process can be called green growth. The following paper attempts to show, within the framework of an semi-endogenous growth model using a linear-exponential production function (Linex function) with bounded resource efficiency, that the accumulation of physical and knowledge capital to substitute natural resources cannot guarantee green growth. As the population grows, per capita income decreases, and the economy's capital base decays. In addition, an ecological displacement effect resulting from the biophysical embeddedness of the economy further exacerbates the result. Physical capital pushes back the natural spaces necessary to regenerate natural services and resources and can, therefore, not be accumulated endlessly. A comparison with standard resource models shows that this displacement effect also limits growth for models with production functions with low elasticities of substitution. Finally, the analysis of transitory dynamics addresses aspects of intergenerational equality in a limited biosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents prominent biological metaphors in ecological economics and argues that the discipline is founded on an untested assumption, essentially an analogy: The economy-as-an-organism. A transdisciplinary approach is taken to test the scientific usefulness of this analogy, and eight propositions are put forth and examined. Results show that: 1) This analogy bears all the characteristics of scientifically useful analogies, as documented in the relevant literature. 2) World Bank data from 165 countries from 1960 to 2013 show that empirically verifiable laws that apply to all organisms apply analogously to all economies – supporting the ecological economics view that economies and organisms are metabolically analogous. 3) Empirical results affirm those of a mature GDP-energy literature, despite employing very different assumptions and perspectives – thus validating the analogy's scientific potential. 4) The analogy offers a new perspective on economies, correctly predicts their "characteristics," and generates new testable hypotheses, hallmarks of scientific analogies. 5) New perspectives and predictions relate to sustainability and are particularly relevant to researchers interested in this field – thus satisfying the "goal relevance" characteristic of scientific analogies. All results of this exploratory and conceptual paper suggest that our analogy is scientifically useful and worthy of additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular Economy (CE) has gained great traction over the past few years and is increasingly seen as a way to achieve sustainable development. However, the implementation of CE initiatives often leads to rebound effects (RE), which limits the sustainability potential of CE. Despite the vast literature on rebound effects across several disciplines, such as ecological economics and industrial ecology, there is still a limited understanding regarding the occurrence of rebound effects within a CE context. This paper provides a systematic literature review (SLR) of RE with a particular focus on: (i) definitions; (ii) triggers and drivers; (iii) types and mechanisms; and (iv) measurement approaches. On the basis of the results of the SLR, a conceptual framework of RE is proposed. Furthermore, several gaps for RE research within CE have been identified and lead to the proposition of a number of potential research avenues: (1) expand the research scope and level of analysis to a systemic view; (2) enhance the understanding of RE triggered not only by efficiency, but also effectiveness and sufficiency; (3) expand the time horizon considered for the analysis, so to account for possible delays in the system; (4) deepen the understanding of the relationships between RE and all sustainability dimensions; (5) strengthen the research on the meso level; (6) account for the importance of system structure and system behaviour in the occurrence of RE; (7) model the causal dynamic relationships between important variables to anticipate the potential occurrence of RE; (8) develop robust approaches to estimate the potential RE triggered by CE initiatives. By consolidating the state-of-the-art within RE research and identifying the research directions for exploring RE within CE, this paper establishes a solid foundation for future research in the field. • Research on rebound effects of the Circular Economy (CE) is still scarce. • Rebound effect research across various disciplines provide the foundation for CE. • Design of a conceptual framework for research on rebound effects. • Consolidation of eight research avenues for uncovering the rebound effects of CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the discussion on integrating societal considerations, stakeholders' perceptions and laymen knowledge into ecosystem services (ES) assessments. The paper illustrates how social mapping of perceived ES supply (or alternatively demand) can contribute to integrated ES assessment. Based on sketched locations of the, according to 38 respondents, most important ES at the local scale, we describe the perceived ES distribution with social landscape metrics (abundance, diversity, richness, risk, rarity) based on traditional landscape ecology indicators. We illustrate how social landscape metrics can inform ES management and planning and describe how synergies between ES as stated by the respondents differ from calculated synergies (the latter based on correlation coefficients between perceived ES abundance). We present indicators pointing to locations where (multiple) ES synergies are perceived by stakeholders (stated synergy index), and to conflicting ES and ES perceived to be at risk (risk index). Overlapping social ES hotspots based on the social landscape metrics with ES hotspots based on more traditional biophysical modelling (biophysical hotspots) and ecological inventories (ecological hotspots) results in social–ecological or social–biophysical hotspots, coldspots and warmspots relevant for nature and landscape planning, management and governance. Based on an analysis of the overlaps between social, biophysical and ecological hotspots on the one hand, and the contribution of ecological quality, land zoning categories and conservation statuses on the other hand, we discuss the added value of integrating social ES mapping in integrated ES assessment, above ES assessments based on biophysical or ecological attributes. Given the limited overlap between social hotspots and ecological or biophysical hotspots, we conclude that integrating stakeholders' mapping of perceived ES supply (or demand) into ES assessments is necessary to reflect the societal aspects of ES in ES assessments. However, with a limited sample of respondents, there is a risk of collectivisation of respondents' viewpoints as a common, societal stance. Moreover, the social landscape metrics are not suitable for describing the distribution of ES with low perceived abundance. Finally, we explain how social ES assessment can result in mainstreaming ES in planning, policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology that helps managers evaluate how to assess the impact of postponement on supply chain performance considering logistics and ecological criteria. We consider a green supply chain design that considers CO 2 transport emissions under different postponement strategy scenarios using a simulation tool. The paper focuses on a relevant extension of postponement theory by including green considerations into the evaluation of postponement strategies in green supply chain design. Moreover, it provides some insight on how to measure and evaluate the impact of postponement regarding supply chain transport performance, considering different transport mode (container ocean ship and truck) using the European Platform on Life-Cycle Assessment (EPLCA) of ELCD – European Life-Cycle Database. The study has demonstrated that logistics and packing postponement strategies can improve the performance of logistics (total inventory and order lead-time) and, at the same time contribute to reducing the environmental impact of CO 2 emissions from transportation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper starts with a brief criticism of macroeconomic analyses of different schools of thought for their focus on economic growth and maximisation of output. This applies to the traditional Keynesian approach, which has focused on the achievement of sufficient aggregate demand to underpin full employment and full capacity utilisation, down-playing aggregate supply constraints. This also applies to the neoclassical approach, including the current New Consensus Macroeconomics approach, which asserts the dominant role of aggregate supply in the long run, and where growth is set by the so-called ‘natural rate of growth’, with no concerns over environmental and ecological issues. The paper then proposes a different approach to macroeconomic analysis. It explicitly acknowledges that economic growth is a double-edged sword. Growth can help to alleviate persistent levels of high unemployment, but it can also lead to potentially catastrophic environmental problems. Building on the Monetary Circuit theory and the Demand-led growth theory, the paper offers an analysis of the interconnections and interdependence of the economic, biophysical and social worlds and by doing it hopes to provide the building blocks for the establishment of post-Keynesian ecological macroeconomics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better interpret preference data, environmental economists often measure two different types of attitudes: general environmental attitudes, and attitudes specific to an issue. Although methods such as joint latent class modeling can relate these measures to stated preference data, economics literature offers limited guidance on important details, including the relative merits of the two attitude types. This paper analyzes survey data about the management of the invasive, non-native fungus that causes the lethal disease white pine blister rust in high-elevation forests, a problem characterized by long time scales and potentially costly interventions of uncertain efficacy. The paper uses novel techniques for comparing across latent class model specifications to evaluate the relative contribution of general and specific attitude measures to the analysis of contingent valuation data. These demonstrate insights from investigating heterogeneity in respondents' perspectives and superior model performance with specific attitude statements versus with general attitude statements. In addition to the practical content, these results offer novel insight into ongoing debate on the meaning of stated preference valuation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the complex social problem of African elephant decimation using a political economy approach. This paper applies five principles of O'Hara's political economy (POPE): historical specificity; circular and cumulative causation; uneven development; heterogeneous agents; and contradiction. POPE provides a practical tool for scrutinising the interdependent aspects of a problem. The culture of conspicuous consumption for ivory is a key historical driver of demand. Yet a core, integrated factor that helps explain the current crisis relates to the principle of uneven development. The role of uneven development can be indirect, through lack of human development causing high crime and corruption rates, weak policy frameworks and conflicts in land ownership. Further, heterogeneity of agents adds to the complexity of the networks engaged in the decimation of elephants. Linked to the poaching–trafficking circuit of heterogeneous agents, this paper identifies two specific elephant contradictions between the market forces of durable fixed capital and environment-elephant capital. This study contributes to the literature by analysing the interlinking, cumulative processes of elephant poaching and ivory trafficking networks, which previous studies in the economics literature tend to ignore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three basic principles of sustainable development, relating to ecology, economy and society, have long been embedded within national and international strategies. In recent years we have augmented these principles by a further seven considerations giving rise to the so-called 10-tenets of sustainable management. Whilst theoretically appealing, discussion of the tenets to date has been largely generic and qualitative and, until the present paper, there has been no formal and quantitative application of these tenets to an actual example. To promote the concept of successful and sustainable environmental management there is the need to develop a robust and practical framework to accommodate value judgements relating to each of the tenets. Although, as originally presented, the tenets relate specifically to management measures, they may also be applied directly to a specific development or activity. This paper examines the application of the tenets in both of these contexts, and considers their incorporation into an assessment tool to help visualise and quantify issues of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International attempts have not succeeded in addressing climate change, leaving an even heavier responsibility on countries, firms and people. As tourism is an expanding branch in the world economy, it is crucial to focus on how climate change issues are addressed in this industry as well. This paper analyses a group of tourism firms in Norway that join together to promote growth and profitability in winter tourism. The span in how these firms deal with environmental issues ranges from ecotourism till not addressing the subject at all. Although the majority of the firms have environmental issues on the agenda, environmental issues are not included in the cooperation. We use critical discourse theory to explore how this stance on environmental issues within a cooperation has come about, and categorize the firms into three discourses: neoclassical economics, environmental economics and ecological economics. Our data indicate that the hegemonic power of neoclassical economics hampers an environmental focus in the network. This power is exerted through the position of being environmentally indifferent. The paper adds knowledge to economic discourses on firm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crisp numbers make it to the headlines. However, it is unlikely that a single crisp number can capture a complex issue, such as the analysis of the sustainability of human progress both at the local and the global scale. This paper tackles this standard epistemological predicament in relation to a media-friendly model of man’s impact on Nature: the Ecological Footprint (EF). The claim made by the proponents of this analytical tool is that EF makes it possible to check “how much is taken” by the economic process versus “how much could be taken” according to ecological processes. In this paper we argue that the ecological footprint assessment – purportedly useful as an argument against the idea of perpetual growth – is fraught with internal contradictions. Our critical appraisal is based on the lack of correspondence between the semantics – the claim about what the EF accounting does – and the syntax – the EF protocol of accounting that should deliver the purported output. We critically examine the various assumptions used in the approach, showing that the EF is in contradiction with its stated purposes and would lead to paradoxes if its prescriptions were used for policy making. We also contend that the laboriousness of EF computation protocols contrasts with its ultimate fragility. In fact the estimate of carbon footprint due to energy production is what determines the assessment of the planet’s deficit of virtual land. We show that this estimate cannot be defended in light of the assumptions and simplifications used for its construction. Our conclusion is that the EF does not serve a meaningful discussion on the modeling of sustainability, and that the same media-friendly narrative about the Earth Overshot day is in the end reassuring and complacent when considering other aspects on man’s pressure on the planet and its ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the discourse produced in the academic journal Ecological Economics from its inception in 1989, and compares this discourse with that of the field of environmental economics. I used methods for discourse analysis (Alceste and Iramuteq) on 6308 abstracts of papers published in four journals — namely Ecological Economics , the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management , Environmental Values , and Environmental and Resource Economics , published between 1989 and 2013. The results suggest that the discourses of ecological economics and environmental economics have grown closer over time. The semantic classification of co-occurrent terms used in Ecological Economics indicates increasing significance of the notions of ecosystem services and of monetary valuation. I argue that this trend is parallel to Costanza's career-path, which suggests the rise of a tacit recognition of the New Environmental Pragmatic scientific approach. I conclude with some of the implications for EE of promoting this kind of discourse to such an extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ecological economics, natural resources – which may contribute only a small amount to GDP – are viewed as fundamental to the functioning of the economy. They are sometimes pictured as sitting at the base of an inverted pyramid, with the rest of the economy balanced on top of them. In this paper we show that when prices are set by markup, a standard heterodox assumption, then the “inverted pyramid” picture of the economy emerges naturally in a neo-Ricardian model. We demonstrate the use of the model with brief applications to biophysical economics. The paper is one of a growing number that use heterodox macroeconomics to address questions in ecological economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Carbon efficiency and abatement costs of the PLEEZ are estimated. • The regional heterogeneity among the three major types of functional zones in the PLEEZ are analyzed. • Major agriculture production zone has a higher carbon efficiency and lowest abatement costs in the PLEEZ. • The global non-radial directional distance function and its dual model are used. In this paper we investigate the carbon efficiency and abatement cost for different main functional regions in China, to test whether major agriculture production zone has higher carbon efficiency and abatement cost than other functional regions. For this purpose, we use a global non-radial distance function to examine the efficiency and abatement cost of carbon emissions and take China's Poyang Lake Ecological Economics Zone (PLEEZ), one of China's national strategy for sustainable development, as an empirical study. By using the non-radial efficiency model, the carbon emissions efficiency indicator can be constructed. By employing the dual model of the non-radial directional distance function, the shadow prices of carbon emissions, which is interpreted as marginal abatement cost can be derived. County level data from 2009 to 2013 of the PLEEZ is used as the empirical investigation. Empirical results show that the CO 2 emissions of the PLEEZ are not performing efficiently and the CO 2 emissions efficiency remains at a very low level with an average value of 0.279. Meanwhile, the shadow prices of CO 2 emissions are calculated, with a mean value of 11.867 yuan per ton, which is relatively low compared with other previous studies of different regions or industry and indicate that carbon emissions are not strictly regulated. Moreover, significant heterogeneities in the carbon efficiency and abatement cost are found among three major functional zones in the PLEEZ remain. Major agriculture production zone shows better carbon efficiency than key ecological function zone, but lower than key economic development zone. It is also found carbon abatement cost of major agriculture production zone is lower than key economic development zone indicating the less pressure under climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avoiding whinges from various and potentially conflicting stakeholders is a major challenge for sustainable development and for the identification of sustainability scenarios or policies for biodiversity and ecosystem services. It turns out that independently complying with whinge thresholds and constraints of these stakeholders is not sufficient because dynamic ecological-economic interactions and uncertainties occur. Thus more demanding no whinge standards are needed. In this paper, we first argue that these new boundaries can be endogenously exhibited with the mathematical concepts of viability kernel and viable controls. Second, it is shown how these no whinge kernels have components, such as harvesting of resources, that should remain within safe corridor while some other components, in particular biodiversity, have only lower conservation limits. Thus, using radar charts, we show how this no whinge kernels can take the shape of a tree that we name viability tree. These trees of viability capture the idea that the unbounded renewal potential of biodiversity combined with a bounded use of the different ecosystem services are crucial ingredients for the sustainability of socio-ecosystems and the design of no whinge policies reconciling the different stakeholders involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the existing confusion around the conceptual definitions and interpretations of the term circular bioeconomy. The co-existence of diametrically opposite interpretations of the concept indicates lack of a serious discussion of its theoretical foundations. Two narratives on circular bioeconomy are explored in depth: (i) the new economic paradigm based on technological progress (the economics of technological promises) that seeks perpetual economic growth; (ii) an entropic (thermodynamic) narrative that reflects on the limits on economic growth imposed by nature. The latter narrative makes a distinction between primary, secondary and tertiary resource flows and helps to identify what can and cannot be re-circulated within the metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems. Adopting the biophysical view, it becomes clear that the industrial revolution represented a linearization of material and energy flows with the goal to overcome the low pace and density of biological transformations. The required level of productivity of production factors in contemporary developed economies (flows per hour of labor and per hectare of land use) is orders of magnitude larger than the pace and density of supply and sink capacity of natural processes. Relying on nature to 'close the loop' will simply slow down the economic process. • Confusion around the concept of circular bioeconomy is explored • The concept is linked to Georgescu-Roegen's fund-flow model • The industrial revolution was a movement from a circular to a linearized economy • Dependence on renewable ecological fund-flows slows down the economic process • Current productivity of productions factors is incompatible with circular bioeconomy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper investigates ecological threshold and ecological economic threshold by developing an ecological economic model—an extension of a population–resource dynamics model developed by Brander and Taylor (1998). The model reflects three critical issues regarding an ecological economic system: system boundary, non-convexity, and adaptation. The paper elucidates six main findings: ecological economic threshold may come before ecological threshold; the ecological economic threshold may exhibit a highly context-dependent and dynamic nature, which suggests the precautionary principle; markets do not respond sufficiently to maintain resiliency under an external shock as prices do not reflect thresholds; the system can be restored by intervention, even after crossing the ecological economic threshold; various transitional paths are possible in restoring the system; and adaptation affects resilience to a somewhat significant effect which suggests the importance of better information and education. Because of the complexity of the model, I adopt a system dynamics approach for the development and analysis of the model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper puts forward a political economy critique of the perceived solid conceptual foundations of Sustainable Well-Being Indicators (SWBIs) such as ISEW and GPI. A particular version of ‘entropic net psychic income’ has been implanted as the main conceptual basis for these aggregated measures of sustainable economic welfare. However, a well-known limitation of SWBIs is that they do not prudently factor-in measures of investment and depreciation of ‘human-health capital’—yet this is a critical aspect of sustainable well-being. It is argued that under Fisher's psychic income framework, the heart of the indicator is a theory that specifies accounting for some sort of change in the human psyche, i.e. the stock (or fund) of human-health capital. Advocates of SWBIs cannot adequately account for the degree of human health or knowledge, because this is not their reference point—‘personal consumption expenditures’ is their reference point. Political economy seeks to avoid abstracting from the whole reality, recognising that endogenous processes of human-health capital formation are overdetermined. This paper thus argues that there is a significant conceptual shortcoming in ISEW and GPI, which, if left unattended will undermine the measure of theoretical legitimacy and empirical efficacy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper first, introduces the concept of mainstreaming ecosystem services by showing its relevance for development planning. Second, it presents the role and importance of strategic environmental assessment in designing and implementation of development policy. Third, the paper sets-out the concept of economic valuation of ecosystem services by discussing what it means and what is at stake if valuation of ecosystem services is ignored in the process of development policy making. The methods of capturing economic contribution of ecosystem services at policy level are discussed with examples in the paper. The main focus of this paper is how ecosystem services can be used in policy scale environmental impact assessment. The paper argues that ecosystem services can be an appropriate indicator to weight developmental policies, programs and plans to ensure the consideration of environmental balancing at the policy level. The paper suggests that the roles of ecosystem services in macroeconomic policies including ecosystem accounting, poverty alleviation and employment generation can be used to link environmental policies and SEA with development policies for a successful impact assessment at policy and program levels. By building upon the various contemporary initiatives within UNEP and outside, the paper in its synthesis section, flags-up necessary knowledge gaps, challenges and lessons learned in integrating values of ecosystem services in strategic environmental assessments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The re-interpretation of the urban development acts as both a sink of entropy transfer and as a source of releasing negative effects into the environment. It is a major step towards the design of urban sustainable development schemes. Presented in this paper is an integrated ecological economic assessment considering the economic and ecological losses and a sustainability policy-making framework for 31 typical Chinese cities in view of spatial variations based on thermodynamic analysis. The economic and ecological loss varies significantly across cities both in total sum due to diversities of geographic features, economic development levels and local energy use availability. The results revealed the metropolises (including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc) and cities along the Yangzi river (e.g., Changsha) have the lowest Emergy-based Sustainability Index (ESI) values, thus suggesting that emissions greatly reduced the sustainability of the urban socioeconomic system by pulling resources for damage repair and for replacement of lost natural and human-made capital. The investment of the waste treatment investment, which acts as a balanced system for entropy turbulence, should be encouraged. The spatial hierarchy theory in emergy synthesis can be derived from the developing pattern of cities. This paper provides a reference towards how the urban environmental impacts drive economic policy and sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Poverty has been increasingly conceptualized as being multidimensional, involving deprivation in many dimensions of life. This paper discusses issues and implications of multidimensional poverty by adopting concepts commonly used in ecological economics. In particular, poverty is approached as an irreducible, complex phenomenon for which many legitimate, but non-equivalent descriptions exist. Issues of social and technical incommensurability are illustrated for different meanings and measurement types of poverty. Georgescu-Roegen's flow/fund framework is interpreted, informed by the capability approach of Amartya Sen. The paper argues that a predominant focus on flows as a proxy to analyze poverty represents rather a short-term perspective on access to satisfiers to fulfill particular needs. Contrary to that, focusing on valued funds may provide useful information for the analysis of capabilities that persons and societies might pursue in the long term. Furthermore, it is argued that strong poverty alleviation needs to adopt analytical tools that can deal with non-trade-off cases: improvements in one poverty dimension cannot always compensate for the deterioration of other poverties. This implies to rethink the usefulness of aggregate multidimensional poverty indices, as well as the predominant use of income measures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper introduces a holistic approach to the study of sustainable development of global product chains. We first present a number of perspectives on this topic from disciplines such as economic geography, management science, sociology and environmental sciences. Each of these approaches brings in a specific focus: the consequences of geographical dispersion of economic activities, measurement of ecological and social impact, managing sustainability in supply chains, and power asymmetry among economic actors. Until now, these disciplinary research lines have remained unconnected. We argue that ecological economics provides a promising background for a more holistic conceptualization. To this end, we formulate five basic questions that serve to advance the study of sustainability throughout the product chain by connecting the foci of the identified scientific disciplines. The aim of advancing a holistic perspective has guided the selection of papers for this special subsection, which are introduced throughout the text. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The role of environmental uncertainty has not been ignored in the common resource literature, but underlying most of this research is an explicit or implicit assumption of symmetric uncertainty. In this paper I relax the assumption of symmetric uncertainty and analyze how knowledge heterogeneity influences coordination problems that can arise in common resource settings. This paper demonstrates that knowledge heterogeneity can work as a coordination device; the more users differ with respect to knowledge, the smaller is the coordination problem as well as the probability of resource breakdown. Less informed users can take advantage of their ignorance at the expense of more informed users. Furthermore, regulation can reduce the coordination problem further, but only by reinforcing the benefit from ignorance. Thus when analyzing and suggesting policies for reducing the inefficiencies associated with common resources where rivalry prevails, one should not only be concerned about the level of environmental uncertainty, but also the distribution, as it matters too. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Several highly cited papers suggest that commercial fishing is altering marine ecosystems by “fishing down the food chain”. Recent evidence calls into question the generality of the original findings, but the papers all raise the question: what mechanisms lie behind exploitation patterns in a trophic system? This paper develops a simple model that shows how economic factors drive patterns of exploitation in a trophic system. We show that while fishing down the food chain is possible, there is no reason to suppose that the relevant economic factors favor such an outcome. As we show, other patterns are just as plausible. We also discuss and show how an index of trophic level-weighted harvest is not necessarily a good indicator of ecosystem health if biomass abundance is important. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Earth system interactions, as highlighted by the planetary boundaries framework, occur within and across natural, social and economic systems and shape global environmental change. This paper addresses the multi-level governance problem of coherently addressing key interactions between four Earth sub-systems – climate change, freshwater use, land use and biodiversity – taking into account concerns over problem shifting. After discussing possibilities for regional downscaling of the boundaries, we explore challenges for the EU region to coherently address this particular set of interacting Earth sub-systems and reduce the risk of problem shifting. This analysis demonstrates that Earth system interactions can be governed, but that they likely require comprehensive packages of governance responses across both sub-systems and levels. Three overarching governance functions are tentatively identified that directly or indirectly address Earth system interactions: reduction of system stress, risks and vulnerabilities; triggering and navigation of transformation of economic activity; and development of a diversity of options. Finally, the paper briefly discusses political and institutional challenges for developing, enabling and stabilising these governance functions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The spatial distribution of agri-environmental policy benefits has important implications for the efficient allocation of management effort. The practical convenience of relying on sample mean values of individual benefits for aggregation can come at the cost of biased aggregate estimates. The main objective of this paper is to test spatial hypotheses regarding respondents'' local water quality and quantity, and their willingness-to-pay for improvements in water quality attributes. This paper combines choice experiment and spatially related water quality data via a Geographical Information System (GIS) to develop a method that evaluates the influence of respondents'' local water quality on willingness-to-pay for river and stream conservation programmes in Canterbury, New Zealand. Results showed that those respondents who live in the vicinity of low quality waterways are willing to pay more for improvements relative to those who live near to high quality waterways. The study also found that disregarding the influence of respondents'' local water quality data has a significant impact on the magnitude of welfare estimates and causes substantial underestimation of aggregated benefits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A recent paper (Ecological Economics 69, 2010, pp. 1604–1609) has addressed the issues of dimensional homogeneity of equations and non-linear transformations of variables in economic and ecological economic models. The authors argued that logarithmic transformation cannot be used when variables are dimensional, presented several examples of purportedly incorrect use in applied economics and ecological economics publications, and concluded that these applications “make no sense.” In this paper we show that this view goes against well established theory and practice of many disciplines including physics, statistics, biology, and economics, and rests on an inadequate understanding of dimensional homogeneity and the nature of empirical modeling in applied sciences. We believe that it is important to clarify that the use of dimensional variables in transcendental functions is in fact in accordance with the established scientific consensus so as to prevent further confusion from arising in ecological economics where addressing complex problems requires the synthesis of insights from many diverse disciplines to further our understanding of the environment–economy interface. We also provide novel applications of dimensional methods to ecological economics and useful methodological references from several strands of scientific literature, not previously systematically consolidated, that should be of interest to every applied researcher. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Increase in biodiversity increases biological and environmental fitness. • The Janus Hypothesis explains how fitness is optimized by maximizing total system throughflow (TST) and storage (TSS). • Autonomy, biodiversity, and connectivity are three key ingredients in the process. Abstract Adam Smith's classic, The Wealth of Nations (Smith, 1776), laid down the foundations for free-market, and later growth, economics. Goals, resources, currencies, labor, and skills in human enterprise all have parallels in the economy of nature: ▪ Self-interested people have counterparts in survival-driven species; ▪ Opportunities and markets are reflected in resource and habitat niches; ▪ Division of labor is expressed in role niches and biodiversity; ▪ Persistence of economic growth is matched in that of biological growth; ▪ Growth in money-flow mirrors matter- and energy-flow in ecosystems; ▪ Capital accumulation as monetary profit in economics is expressed as the standing stocks of natural capital in ecology; and finally, ▪ Smith's invisible hand , generating "greatest goods for the greatest many", finds specificity in the utility theory and mathematics of ecology's network environ analysis. These parallels, and the fact that man is a part of nature also, suggest the same laws direct both ecology and economics. This paper summarizes the Janus Hypothesis (Patten, 2016) as a candidate theory determining natural (and human) economics. The hypothesis holds that three relational " ABC "s— a utonomy, b iodiversity, and c onnectivity—self-organize to maximize biological and environmental fitness in the transactional economy of nature. Applicability to human economics is axiomatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • History of thermodynamics and information theory is presented. • Information and energy are important drivers of biodiversity and life. • Ecosystem complexity reflects the potential for ecosystem services delivery. • Ecosystem services are underpinned by information and energy flows. • Thermodynamics provides a solid basis for studying complex socioecological systems. Abstract Human societies are dependent on a large set of ecosystem services (ES) generated by the diversity of life on Earth. It has been proposed that the negative impact of human societies on ecosystems could be reduced if the economic value of ES would be acknowledged. However, the evaluation of ES vital for human well-being using traditional economic models following market principles (based on the concept of scarcity and regarding ES as an intrinsic market structure) poses some limitations. Ecological Economics offers an alternative perspective based on the idea that human economy should not exceed the biophysical limits of the planet. Understanding the economic value of natural resources and ES may be effective to optimize the environmental performance at local scale. However, the sustainable use of natural resources is ultimately a question of understanding the value of the biosphere at different scales - from local to global - using multiple perspectives and criteria. This paper proposes alternative ways of understanding the real significance and value of biodiversity and its links to the generation of ES based on thermodynamics and information theory. In particular, the use of two indicators of ecosystem complexity reflecting the potential for ES delivery is suggested: information (e.g., genetic diversity) and eco-exergy (e.g., the chemical energy stored in organic matter and the genetic information embodied in biomass of living organisms). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Social systems may be vulnerable to changes in ecosystem services provision. • An indicator of social vulnerability to environmental change is proposed. • Dependency on the ecosystem and adasssptation are dimensions of social vulnerability. • Vulnerability indicator is developed to be evaluated at local scale. • Participative techniques to obtain information at beneficiary level are proposed. Abstract Understanding the influence of social variables on a beneficiary´s vulnerability to environmental change might improves the design of policies of mitigation and adaptation to global, regional and local environmental change. In the context of socio-ecological systems, there is a wide variety of conceptual and methodological approaches for the assessment of social vulnerability in face of environmental change. However, there is a need for making these approaches more operational. Among the aspects that have been pointed out in previous literature as current research needs are (i) the identification of variables that are determinant for the construction of a vulnerability index, (ii) the analysis of the problems derived from the availability of information for the vulnerability evaluation, (iii) spatial representation of a vulnerability index and (iv) the design of strategies to identify the responses of different types of beneficiaries at local scale. This paper proposes an index of the social system´s vulnerability to changes in ecosystem services provision as well as a methodological proposal for its evaluation at local scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Risk is the most frequent keyword in financial-economic-ecological research area. • Low level of association between insurance and ecological issues. • PC1 (60.4%) represents indices typical of "financial" insurance. • PC2 (19.6%) and PC3 (10.6%) represent surrogates of "ecological" insurance. • Financial and ecological insurances together support the preparedness to natural disasters. Abstract It is known that financial insurance can address the economic impacts of a natural disaster, but some ecological aspects can play a crucial role in mitigating the overall risks for socio-ecological systems. To better strengthen the study of these relations, the aims of this paper are: (1) to analyze the main research topics of the scientific literature on ecological and/or financial-economic insurance to face natural disasters, through a co-word network analysis; (2) to analyze the temporal trends of the total Gross Insurance Premium and Meteorological and climatological extreme events in 29 OECD countries; and (3) to carry out a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of some selected variables in order to conceptualize a first empirical model combining financial-economic and ecological insurance to face natural disasters. The literature review has shown a predominance of topics related to financial insurance (about 60%), and the co-word map of key words has highlighted a common space where economic and ecological insurances interact. PCA highlighted three major components explaining 90.6% of the overall variation and discriminating aspects more related to the "financial" insurance, from those related to the "ecological" insurance. More in detail, PC1, which represents the financial insurance, explains the 60.4% of variation, PC2 and PC3 that represent surrogates of the "ecological" insurance explain respectively the 19.6% and the 10.6% of variation. On the basis of the application of the proposed empirical model, countries with high levels of financial and ecological preparedness have been identified. The next steps of this research will be focused on a pilot study area where a quantitative assessment will be applied to better define the landscape contribution to natural disaster risk mitigation, the analysis of the role of social capital through a cross-scales approach, in terms of policies and management strategies, and the investigation of innovative economic tools to take into account specific payment for ecosystem services in the context of natural disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Integrating solar-thermal energy into the power plant with post-combustion carbon capture and storage can reduce the energy penalty derived from solvent regeneration. However, few metrics exist to evaluate the trade-off associated with technic, economic and ecological perspectives for different integration schemes of the three subsystems, namely the solar field, power plant and carbon capture system. This paper analysis five configurations of coal-fired power plant with and without solar field as well as CCS technology based on the resilience concept. Still at the budding stage, the status of resilience definitions and evaluation methods related to energy system is reviewed. The resilience level for five configurations of coal-fired power plant both with and without solar-field, together with the CCS system is measured, which takes into consideration five critical characteristics towards resilience: fossil fuel depletion potential (CADP), global warming potential (GWP), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), solar to electricity fraction and spare capacity. Results indicate that among all the configurations, the solar-assisted power generation CCS power plant with 90% capture rate shows the highest resilience level. However, the scheme which utilizes solar energy to assisted solvent regeneration, shows limited advantage in terms of resilience level due to high CADP and LCOE. Highlights • Resilience concept and evaluation studies concerning energy systems are reviewed. • A resilience index measure is proposed for solar-assisted CCS energy systems. • Five resilience indicators are covered. • The solar hybrid CCS power plant shows the highest resilience level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Climate change, characterized with global warming, created severe potential threat to natural ecosystems and sustainable development of human society. Effective adaptation measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate change would affect both the ecological environment and the social economy. In this paper, we built a positive mathematical programming model to assess adaptation measures, which were divided into four aspects, to tackle climate change based on the survey data obtained from seven counties and 32 villages in the region of Hulun Buir. The results showed that, livestock breeding improvement had a positive impact on grass yield, livestock number and especially herder's household income (the most in Ewenki (11.7%) and the least in Xinzuo (2.3%)); artificial grassland project could lead to an average growth rate of 8.4% in household income among the four counties; current policies and going out for work could also increase household income, however, not a sustainable choice. To realize sustainable development in the context of global climate change, the vitality of sustainable development of animal husbandry under the premise of protecting ecological environment should be enhanced. For example, improving the safety and quality of livestock products through influencing livestock breeding, processing technology and high quality forage, and ensuring adequate forage supplement through artificial grassland project. Highlights • The pastoral regions in Hunlun Buir have a poor capability for resisting natural disasters. • We built a positive mathematical programming model to assess adaptation measures in a pastoral region. • Livestock breeding improvement and artificial grassland project had a positive impact on income. • Sustainable development of animal husbandry under the premise of protecting ecological environment should be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]