Principles of Population Dynamics and Their Application

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Provides an introduction to population dynamics, exploring rules that govern change in any dynamic system and applying these general principles to populations of living organisms. The text is jargon-free and overcomes the controversy that surrounds this subject.

Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications

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best textbook ever
Great book
At last what we needed
A Solid Text on an Increasingly Important Science
Revolutionizes the traditional approach to a social science

Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications
Joshua Farley , and Herman E. Daly
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1559633123

Book Description

Conventional economics is often criticized for failing to reflect adequately the value of clean air and water, species diversity, and social and generational equity. By excluding biophysical and social systems from their analyses, many conventional economists overlook problems of the increasing scale of human impacts and the inequitable distribution of resources.

Ecological Economics is an introductory-level textbook for an emerging paradigm that addresses this flaw in much economic thought. The book defines a revolutionary "transdiscipline" that incorporates insights from the biological, physical, and social sciences, and it offers a pedagogically complete examination of this exciting new field. The book provides students with a foundation in traditional neoclassical economic thought, but places that foundation within a new interdisciplinary framework that embraces the linkages among economic growth, environmental degradation, and social inequity.

Introducing the three core issues that are the focus of the new transdiscipline -- scale, distribution, and efficiency -- the book is guided by the fundamental question, often assumed but rarely spoken in traditional texts: What is really important to us? After explaining the key roles played by the earth's biotic and abiotic resources in sustaining life, the text is then organized around the main fields in traditional economics: microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics. The book also takes an additional step of considering the policy implications of this line of thinking.

Ecological Economics includes numerous features that make it accessible to a wide range of students:

more than thirty text boxes that highlight issues of special importance to students
lists of key terms that help students organize the main points in each chapter
concise definitions of new terms that are highlighted in the text for easy reference
study questions that encourage student exploration beyond the text
glossary and list of further readings

An accompanying workbook presents an innovative, applied problem-based learning approach to teaching economics.

While many books have been written on ecological economics, and several textbooks describe basic concepts of the field, this is the only stand-alone textbook that offers a complete explanation of both theory and practice. It will serve an important role in educating a new generation of economists and is an invaluable new text for undergraduate and graduate courses in ecological economics, environmental economics, development economics, human ecology, environmental studies, sustainability science, and community development.

Customer Reviews:

best textbook ever.......2006-03-13

And I'm not just saying that because I like ecological economics. Before this I used to hate even the idea of textbooks...mostly the fault of high school I guess, but also many college courses. In fact that is the reason why I hesitated to buy this book, but I'm glad I did. This is the only textbook I have been able to read straight through (though slowly and critically) and maintain my focus, interest, and energy. It's very well written and organized, and it's honest and upfront, highlighting debates and differences in opinions, as well as their implications. It is even entertaining on a fairly regular basis.

No prior knowledge of economics or natural sciences is necessary, though of course having some helps to make it an easier read. The 2nd edition should take care of some of the minor typos and other editing mistakes. I have seen no serious flaws in the book.

If you
1) Have an open mind
2) Respect solid, provocative arguments that challenge the status-quo
3) Are interested in the nature of the relationship between humans and our environment, economics, ecology, sustainability, social justice, or democracy
You will probably enjoy this book.

I also suggest getting the companion workbook, especially if you are
1) A student (of any age, shape or form)
2) Interested particularly in the fields of environmental policy/management, economics, or ecological economics or
3) Interested in the education system and education reform.

It has valuable supplemental information as well as suggestions on how to advance your knowledge and possibly put you into a career path. The pedagogical philosophy espoused in the book is great from my perspective--a student frustrated with the hypocrisies and contradictions of academia and our current education system. Farley makes it clear that fundamental education reform is necessary in order to advance democracy and for us to continue to develop into our greatest human potentials.

Great book.......2006-02-25

Bring ecological economics to every day life will be the greatest defy of this century. The autor writes brillantly how we can, now, change our economic view and achieve sustainable development. Every student must read this book...

At last what we needed.......2004-10-13

Here at last is a book that sees ecological economics not as a branch of economics or a school of economics but as a broader and deeper system of ideas that includes the sound elements of conventional economics. Herman Daly, the Grand Old Man of the steady state economy, and Joshua Farley, his able younger follower, have produced a comprehensive and very readable synthesis. Traditional economists see natural resources as a subsystem of the world economy. This book presents the economy as a subsystem of the global ecosystem. The effect is like that of climbing a tall tower and seeing that a familiar city was all along part of an island whose fields and forests are in danger of disappearing under the advancing suburbs. The authors have not shied away from including controversial ideas, and there are some that I do not agree with, but that just adds to the stimulation. Not only have I adopted this as the textbook for a course in ecological economics, but I would like to see it read by all economists. This is not a specialist branch of economics; it is the only kind of economics appropriate to the new century.

A Solid Text on an Increasingly Important Science.......2004-08-16

Ecological economics is a relatively new field that I believe will be central to economics in this century. This text book presents the basics. It is more comprehensive than most other works in this area, and also has greater depth. (If this is your first expedition into ecological economics, though, you might want to try instead "Beyond Growth", by one of this book's co-authors.)
This text book points out that ever-greater material consumption provided by never-ending economic growth is the agreed-upon end for traditional economics and most of modern society. The problem with this conventional approach is that it is impossible to achieve, and probably would be undesirable anyway even if we could achieve it.
The text offers a fresh approach to one of the most important economic problems of our time. Conventional economics papers over the problem of just distribution of wealth by buying off the poor with the offer of a larger slice of an ever-growing economic pie. Unfortunately, using conventional economic measures like GDP, the pie may look larger even as it is actually shrinking. This ultimately helps no one, least of all the poor. The book argues convincingly that a steady-state economy offers hope of real progress in this area.
I don't agree with some of the author's points. The authors spend a lot of time arguing about determinism, relativism, and nihilism, and state that rejection of all these doctrines is necessary for someone to have any opinions on policy. Their argument seems to be that belief in an ultimate end such as God is necessary to believe that anything matters at all. The book's logic here strikes me as a lot less airtight than the authors seem to think. I know plenty of Christians who believe that due to the imminent Second Coming of Christ, humanity's future isn't likely to extend more than a few decades into the future. This belief understandably leads to a certain disregard for the whole concept of sustainability. Many believers in God also think that what we do to the earth doesn't matter very much, because it is all part of God's plan, and anyway the afterlife is what really counts. The atheists of my acquaintance tend, on average, to be much more concerned about humanity's long-term future, since they can't count on God to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
The text's authors criticize the idea that sustainability can be achieved by internalizing all external costs and benefits. Such internalization has problems, certainly, but I think the problems are more solvable than the authors do. I very much liked the text's analysis of goods as excludable or non-excludable, and rival or non-rival. For nonexcludable rival goods (such as fisheries) the authors state that rational self-interest creates an invisible foot that kicks the common good in the rear--one of the many memorable phrases in this book.
I was glad to see a discussion of the positional nature of welfare--meaning that above a certain subsistence level our sense of well-being is largely dependent on how we compare to those around us. I think this is a very important subject that is entirely ignored by conventional economics. What's the point of trashing the planet to achieve higher incomes, if we're not actually any happier as a result of those higher incomes? (After all, even a glance at People Magazine is enough to show that it's possible to be very rich and utterly miserable.) The text's authors admit that quantifying what really makes people happy is difficult, but point out that on something as important as this, it is better to use an economic measure that is vaguely right rather than precisely wrong. Bravo!
I disagree with much of the authors' discussion of monopolies. I think that monopolies under certain circumstances can be helpful in achieving sustainability. Since this is the subject of some of my own research, though, I won't discuss it here.
I especially enjoyed this book's chapters on policy. The nutshell here is that sustainability is the proper criterion for the overall scale of the economy, and that justice is the proper criterion for distribution. The authors make a good case for the necessity of using input quotas to restrict depletion of resources, which I hadn't realized before. I would have liked to have seen more discussion of population issues, though.
Overall, a very good book for someone who is interested in ecological economics and wants to go in deeper.

Revolutionizes the traditional approach to a social science.......2004-02-09

The collaboration of academicians Herman Daly (University of Maryland, School of Public Affairs) and Joshua Farley (Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, University of Vermont), Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications is a scholarly economics textbook that also incorporates the critical importance of such factors as clean air and water, species diversity, and social and generational equity. An introductory-level resource ideal for both students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in economics and ecology, Ecological Economics revolutionizes the traditional approach to a social science while retaining a tight grasp upon core driving principles of macroeconomics and microeconomics alike. A seamlessly integrated, holistic approach to understanding and appreciating the tangled complexities of the modern world.

Theoretical Ecology: Principles and Applications

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Theoretical Ecology: Principles and Applications

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0199209995

Book Description

Robert May's seminal book has played a central role in the development of ecological science. Originally published in 1976, this influential text has overseen the transition of ecology from an observational and descriptive subject to one with a solid conceptual core. Indeed, it is a testament to its influence that a great deal of the novel material presented in the earlier editions has now been incorporated into standard undergraduate textbooks. It is now a quarter of a century since the publication of the second edition, and a thorough revision is timely. Theoretical Ecology provides a succinct, up-to-date overview of the field set in the context of applications, thereby bridging the traditional division of theory and practice. It describes the recent advances in our understanding of how interacting populations of plants and animals change over time and space, in response to natural or human-created disturbance. In an integrated way, initial chapters give an account of the basic principles governing the structure, function, and temporal and spatial dynamics of populations and communities of plants and animals. Later chapters outline applications of these ideas to practical issues including fisheries, infectious diseases, tomorrow's food supplies, climate change, and conservation biology. Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on questions which as yet remain unanswered. The editors have invited the top scientists in the field to collaborate with the next generation of theoretical ecologists. The result is an accessible, advanced textbook suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate level students as well as researchers in the fields of ecology, mathematical biology, environment and resources management. It will also be of interest to the general reader seeking a better understanding of a range of global environmental problems.

Vertebrate Ecophysiology: An Introduction to its Principles and Applications

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Vertebrate Ecophysiology: An Introduction to its Principles and Applications
Don Bradshaw
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521521092

Book Description

Ecophysiology attempts to clarify the role and importance of physiological processes in the ecological relations of species in their natural habitats. Including blood collection and the measurement of plasma components and hormone levels, the basic principles and methods relevant to any ecophysiological study are covered in this text. Examples are collected from a wide range of vertebrates living in deserts, cold climates and oceans. The book is an introduction to ecophysiology for advanced students, as well as researchers in ecology, biodiversity and conservation.

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Ecophysiology attempts to clarify the role and importance of physiological processes, such as digestion and respiration, in the ecological relations of species in their natural habitats. The basic principles and methods that are central to any ecophysiological study are outlined and discussed, including animal capture, blood collection, and the measurement of plasma components and hormone levels. Attention is paid to animal welfare and ethical considerations, and the question of stress and how to identify its presence in animals in their natural environment is approached through a series of case studies. Examples are given from a wide range of vertebrates living in deserts, cold climates and oceans, and recent findings on the physiological adaptations of Antarctic birds and mammals are a highlight of the book. This textbook will provide an introduction to the study of ecophysiology for advanced undergraduates and postgraduate students, as well as researchers in ecology, biodiversity and conservation.

Environmental Policy Analysis With Limited Information: Principles and Applications of the Transfer Method (New Horizons in Environmental Economics)

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Environmental Policy Analysis With Limited Information: Principles and Applications of the Transfer Method (New Horizons in Environmental Economics)
William H. Desvousges , F. Reed Johnson , and H. Spencer Banzhaf
Manufacturer: Edward Elgar Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1858986559

Book Description

The transfer method, a technique used in cost-benefit analysis, is an increasingly important tool used by government agencies to assess environmental regulatory policy. This innovative book develops protocols for using the transfer method to approach environmental problems and introduces several significant conceptual and methodological advances that refine the transfer process.

The transfer approach to quantitative policy analysis adapts information and data from existing studies and so provides an economical way to assess potential benefits and costs for projects. The book presents a detailed framework for examining the transfer of information, outlines the basic steps of the method, and discusses solutions to frequently encountered problems. It then illustrates the method with an extensive case study of environmental externalities from electricity generation. This case study provides the opportunity to discuss salient aspects of the transfer method in more detail, including conceptual principles, the quality of original studies, empirical difficulties and estimation techniques. It also demonstrates the use of state-of-the-art techniques such as meta analysis to synthesize and transfer information from multiple studies and assesses the reliability of the transfer estimates with repeated computer simulations, a technique known as Monte Carlo analysis.

Book Description

Building on the resounding success of the first edition, this introductory text provides a comprehensive account of modern environmental issues and the physical and socio-economic framework in which they are set.

Customer Reviews:

Man is pushing the Earth to the very limits of its capacity.......1999-08-06

This book is about the environment and the ways in which human activities impact it. It is structured around two main themes, which are principles (the ways in which the environment works) and applications (the ways in which how an understanding of those basic principles helps us to utilize the environment and its resources). Additionally, a recurring theme throughout the book is the way in which we are pushing the Earth to the very limits of its capacity to sustain life as we know it. Human misuse of the planet's natural resources and disturbance of its natural environmental systems causes serious-if not irreversible- damage.

This book differs from most others about the environment in three main ways. Its systems approach stresses interactions and interrelationships between different parts of the environment; its interdisciplinary perspective offers a broader view so essential to an understanding of the complexity and diversity of how the environment works and its global scope shows how the most serious environmental problems require global solutions.

The 18 chapters are grouped into five parts; the introduction sets the context for today's rising environmental concern, demonstrates the usefulness of a systems approach to understand environmental processes and examines how the planet fits into the wider universe. The next four parts each focus on the lithosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere, describing their salient environmental processes; processes such as those that shape climate, cleanse air and water, regulate water flow, recycle essential elements, and create and generate soil.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Azlan is managing partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, a consulting practice based in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management.

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Ecological-Evolutionary Theory: Principles and Applications
Gerhard Lenski
Manufacturer: Paradigm Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Living in the Labyrinth of Technology

Living with the Genie: Essays On Technology And The Quest For Human Mastery

A Short History of Progress

The Evolution of Human Sociality

Power and Privilege: A Theory of Social Stratification

ASIN: 1594511012

Book Description

For forty years, in a variety of books and articles, Gerhard Lenski has become the most influential proponent of ecological and evolutionary explanations of human societies, their development and transformations, from the Stone Age to the present. In his newest book, Lenski offers a succinct but comprehensive statement of the full body of his theory followed by demonstration of how it can be used to generate new and valuable insights when applied to a set of highly diverse issues. These include debates concerning the origin of ancient Israel and its distinctive culture, the rise of the West in the modern era, the highly varied trajectories of development of Third World nations in recent decades, and the failure of Marxist efforts to transform society in the Soviet Union and elsewhere. In the concluding chapter, Lenski discusses a number of other issues and areas where ecological-evolutionary theory may be fruitfully applied in the future.

Modeling Biological Systems:: Principles and Applications

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good package

Modeling Biological Systems:: Principles and Applications
James W. Haefner
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387250115

Book Description

This is the second edition of a textbook currently published by Springer for a course in mathematical modeling and computer simulation for biologists at the advanced undergraduate and introductory graduate level. The audience for this edition is similar to that of the previous one: advanced level courses in computational biology, as well as researchers retooling themselves. This new edition includes a CD-ROM with real examples of models as teaching tools.

Customer Reviews:

good package.......2007-03-09

Very fast to get it. The package is strong enough to protect the book.

Environmental Science: Physical Principles and Applications

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Environmental Science: Physical Principles and Applications
Egbert Boeker , and Rienk van Grondelle
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471495778

Book Description

Providing extensive coverage of the field, this book brings together the latest developments, theories, research and concerns from both a scientific and
social perspective. Beginning with an introduction on approaching environmental problems, the text then moves on to look at climatic change, energy conversion, the transport of pollutants, experimental methods and ends with a discussion on science and society.

Features:

Extensive coverage of the latest concerns, issues and developments within the field from both a scientific and social perspective
Numerous relevant examples and mini-case studies (appetisers) combined with exercises in each chapter and references for further reading
A supplementary website where students can access experiments and simple models relevant to the book: www.nat.vu.nl/envphysexp

Accounting for Resources, 1: Economy-Wide Applications of Mass-Balance Principles to Materials and Waste

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accounting for byproducts called pollutants

Accounting for Resources, 1: Economy-Wide Applications of Mass-Balance Principles to Materials and Waste
Robert U. Ayres , and Leslie W. Ayres
Manufacturer: Edward Elgar Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1858986400

Book Description

This innovative book presents new research on the increasingly important need to account for the use of resources, and the dispersion of waste materials. It considers resource accounting both at the process level and at the materials level, and in addition offers policy suggestions for waste and resource accounting.

The book opens with an introduction to industrial metabolism and its various implications. It then goes on to examine resource accounting at the national and sectoral level, through the systematic application of the mass-balance principle to estimate materials losses at different stages of the production process. It then examines one cluster of industries (related to chlorine) in greater detail. At the process level the use of chemical process simulation software in the estimation of waste emissions is examined, specifically focusing on cases where emissions data is unavailable or unreliable. Finally it introduces, for the first time, a common single measure for evaluating and comparing process or sectoral resource and waste flows between time periods, between sectors and between regions and nations. This measure is known as exergy, and although not new in itself, it has never before been used systematically for these purposes. In conclusion the author summarizes the main problems of resource and waste accounting and offers some policy recommendations for the implementation of accounting for resources.

Accounting for Resources, 1 will be welcomed by environmental managers and scientists, economists, practitioners and government policy makers.

Customer Reviews:

accounting for byproducts called pollutants.......2006-07-01

The authors make an eloquent case for metrics to support informed consideration of environmental issues: "we need physical measures to know what we have, what we have gained, what we have lost, where we are and where we are going." They compile input/output statistics about certain industries: agriculture; forest-products; fuels; chemicals. Their dedication, erudition, and thoughtfulness are praiseworthy.

As one illustration of the value of material balances, the authors mention a prior paper (Ayres, 1997) that noted an imbalance between mercury estimated (by the U.S. Bureau of Mines) as purchased by U.S. chlor-alkali factories circa 1990 versus mercury reported by companies as released to the environment. "The discrepancy is obvious and shocking," they write. Their rediscovered insight, known during the early 1970s, is a thoughtful use of input/output analysis, yet their assumption that companies were "using accounting sleight of hand to avoid reporting wastes as either discharges or transfers" seems largely unwarranted. In any event, during the subsequent 15 years, these factories have voluntarily reduced mercury consumption by more than 90 percent via technological and operational advances. Their lessons are spreading to factories outside the U.S. as well, positive environmental progress on an international scale.

The authors state "halocarbons are very rare in nature." In fact, 2,000 halocarbon compounds of natural origin have been identified by analytic chemists. Salt, containing the halogen chlorine, is ubiquitous and essential to many species. It is only to be expected that life forms interact with and generate halocarbons. The authors add: "A number of halocarbons are toxic." This seemingly implies an assumption that some substances are intrinsically non-toxic. Yet, even water and oxygen are toxic in sufficient doses. While substances greatly vary in terms of toxicities, all substances can be toxic, in sufficient dose. Calling some halocarbons toxic is surpassingly banal.

How substances influence health, and how society comes to brand one "toxic" while another is not so labelled, are important to how pollutant issues are perceived. Such issues cut to the heart of this book. The authors make strongly worded suggestions about how to improve a US waste reporting system called the Toxics Releases Inventory via inclusion of products and material balances. Yet what if society has a hard time identifying dose-dependent risks associated with trace chemical exposures? What if all products and materials can be labelled "toxic", heedless of exposure? What if reporting the volume of products were to reveal business secrets to competitors, without providing any health gains? Is U.S. society attacked by releases of toxic materials from callous manufacturing industries or does extracting pure materials from low concentration raw materials inevitably entail unwanted residues? How is environmental progress best advanced, by decentralized economic decision-making, marketplace responsiveness to customers, and engineering solutions to meet specific needs, or is it better advanced by political planning, relying on interpretation of public data like the TRI by academics?

"Chlorinated solvents, such as methylene chloride (a paint remover), trichloroethylene (a vapor decreaser), perchloroethylene (dry cleaning fluid), and methyl chloroform (also a vapor degreaser) were being used in steadily increasing amounts until it was realized that they could be toxic or carcinogenic to humans with continued exposure, even at low levels." Yet many natural ingredients in our diets could be classified as carcinogenic if tested, owing to the nature of the tests themselves. Professor Bruce Ames and others have made a persuasive case that more than 99 percent of our exposure to carcinogens comes from the natural ingredients of foods. This book seems to rely on shaky, though commonplace, pharmacological science foundations.

One curious statement: "Opportunities for waste reduction in the chemical industry are not particularly great, as the industry is now structured." Generally, in competitive economies, manufacturing makes incremental improvements that become large across the fullness of time. Such improved efficiency is good for the environment. An assumption that the chemical industry cannot reduce waste is unduly pessimistic. Many manufacturing processes use more effective catalysts than decades ago and use energy more efficiently. How the chemical industry should be otherwise "structured" is unexplained and may imply political shaping by those less practically informed.

This is a book for readers interested in environmental policy topics. The authors mention: "As the Chinese proverb has it, the longest journey begins with a single step." In this book, they present thoughtful ideas that can contribute to raising the level of public debate about some arcane, though not unworthy, issues. The journey may still prove long, because some steps in other directions may also serve the public good.

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