Valuing Nature?: Economics, Ethics and Environment

By John Bellamy Foster

The state of the environment is now widely acknowledged as a serious cause for concern. Valuing Nature? argues that responding to this concern by economic valuation of the environment as a consumer good only makes matters worse. The book brings together philosophers, economists and sociologists to put the case for a new and more creative approach to environmental policy. The discussion covers: - the structure of environmental policy-making - the current orthodoxy in environmental economics and its deficiencies - the deeper problems with contingent valuation surveys and cost-benefit analysis for environmental decisions - alternative valuation methods Embracing three disciplines, this book is nevertheless written in a clear, accessible style. It includes chapters by Geoff Hodgson, Clive Spash, Michael Jacobs, Brian Wynne and John O'Neill. Its ground-breaking critique and suggestions will be of great interest both to specialists in the field and to students of the disciplines concerned; it has important messages for anyone concerned with how decisions about the environment are made.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415148758
• ISBN13: 9780415148757
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.1"