Abstract
There is considerable unease with the application of conventional cost-benefit analysis to many modern-day environmental problems. Examples of problems that appear perplexing for decision-making analysis include global warming due to greenhouse gases (GHGs), ozone-layer depletion due to trace gases including chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs), leakage risks from the storage of nuclear waste, nuclear power station accidents such as Chernobyl, and toxic trace pollutants such as cadmium, aluminium, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other carcinogens. This chapter explores the nature of these environmental risks in the context of persistent micropollutants (PMPs) and asks whether the cost-benefit model needs to be abandoned, modified, or confirmed as a leading decision-aiding technique.
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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Pearce, D. (1991). Cost-Benefit Analysis and PMPs. In: Opschoor, J.B., Pearce, D.W. (eds) Persistent Pollutants. Economy & Environment, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3372-2_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3372-2_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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