Suchergebnisse

The sudden collapse of the centrally planned economies of Central and
Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU), has created
economic and environmental disequilibria of historically unprecedented
dimensions throughout the region, as well as a process of gradual transition
from plan to market. This historical 'experiment' provides a unique
opportunity to study economyÐenvironment interactions and the adjustment
process towards a new equilibrium, as well as the implications for
conventional and novel policy instruments under transitional conditions.
The changes that have taken place have been so many and so large that
they defy many of the tools of marginal analysis. Privatization, industrial
restructuring, market competition, price reform, and trade liberalization
among others have suddenly been introduced where none existed and
have so radically altered the fundamentals of these economies that they
could be considered as new economies rather than simply reformed
economies. However, underlying these radical changes, are many legacies
of the centrally planned economy that persist or change only gradually.
Furthermore, not all countries in CEE and the FSU have reformed their
economies at the same pace. The northern tier countries of CEE moved
faster than the southern tier and the latter faster than most FSU republics.

The reduced-form approach to the income–environment relationship has been a useful first step towards answering the question of how economic growth affects the environment. However, without an explicit consideration of the underlying determinants of environmental quality, the scope for policy intervention is unduly circumscribed. In this paper a modest attempt is made to incorporate explicit policy considerations into the income–environment relationship and to explore its determinants as a step towards a better understanding of this relationship and its potential as a policy tool. The role of the rate of economic growth and population density is also explored. A main finding is that at least in the case of ambient SO2 levels, policies and institutions can significantly reduce environmental degradation at low income levels and speed up improvements at higher income levels, thereby flattening the EKC and reducing the environmental price of economic growth.

Environmental regulations can affect productivity in various ways: diverting inputs to the so-called non-productive uses or originating less efficient production processes. Adequate environmental regulations should generate benefits that exceed their costs although not all benefits can be translated into the increase of the product. ; Las regulaciones en materia ambiental pueden afectar la productividad de diversas maneras: desviando insumos a los denominados usos no productivos u originando procesos de producción menos eficientes. Las regulaciones ambientales adecuadas deberían generar beneficios que superen sus costos a pesar de que no todos los beneficios se pueden traducir en el incremento del producto.

The growing evidence that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are related to global warming has prompted several countries to consider options for reducing and offsetting current carbon dioxide emissions. Opportunities for carbon sequestration with forestry activities have been analysed in detail primarily in industrialized nations, mainly because of data availability. This article presents a model that simulates a tropical forest stand in its role as a source of income and as a carbon store, and quantifies the potential for and cost-effectiveness of carbon sequestration through modifications of management practices. Results suggest that financing modifications of forestry practices may achieve net carbon sequestration in a relatively cost-effective way. Tropical countries with extensive forest resources may be in a position to offer cost-effective net carbon sequestration options.