The Environment and Economics

Abstract

What are the best ways of reducing nitrates in water? Should we take action to slow global warming? Should greater controls be placed on industry so as to reduce air pollution? Why is the rainforest being destroyed and what can be done to prevent it? These are the sorts of questions which are addressed in environmental economics. As in any other area of study, there are seldom any simple answers; indeed they are well-known problems because there are no easy answers. Economics offers a framework within which to analyse the problems which we face in making choices about the environment in which we live. This book provides an introduction to the theories and analysis which economists have applied to environmental problems. But first, we should think a little about the subject under study.