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Cost-Benefit Analysis: Cases and Materials
by Euston Quah Raymond TohCost-benefit analysis (CBA) is the systematic and analytical process of comparing benefits and costs in evaluating the desirability of a project or programme, often of a social nature and for society as a whole. CBA is fundamental to government decision-making and can be an effective tool for informed decisions on the use of society's scarce resources. This book highlights the main concepts and principles of cost-benefit analysis used in real life cases and actual applications. The book contains rich cases, materials and examples of real life CBA applications with emphasis both on physical and non-physical projects and infrastructure developments in Asia and beyond. The book also discusses techniques frequently used in applied CBA. The first part of the book introduces the key concepts and principles of CBA before Part Two covers some pertinent issues relating to CBA, such as the recent trend of using behavioural economics and frequently used techniques in applied CBA. Finally, in Part Three, case studies are written up to illustrate how CBA is done, and questions for the readers and students to ponder are raised at the end of each chapter. The scope of the case studies is more than just physical infrastructures but will include public sector policies and programmes covering a host of social policies as in health, education, social welfare programmes, and the environment. For each case, there will be illustrations of the key concepts and principles of CBA used. Undertakings analyzed include: the Three Gorges Dam in China the 2008 Beijing Olympics the Costs of Global Warming the Jamuna Bridge in Bangladesh The case studies, many of which have taken or are to take place in developing countries provide a rich background to the principles of the method, and are accompanied by a wealth of explanatory material. As well as being suitable for courses in Cost-Benefit Analysis, Public Finance, Environmental and Health Economics, the book should be of interest to all public policy decision makers and planners.
Cost-Benefit Analysis in Urban & Regional Planning (Routledge Library Editions: Urban Planning #20)
by John A. SchofieldOriginally published in 1987, Cost-Benefit Analysis in Urban and Regional Planning, outlines the theory and practice of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in the context of urban and regional planning. The theory of CBA is developed with examples to illustrate the principles, it also deals with details of the applications and covers issues such as local health and social services provision, local economic development and regional policy evaluation, and planning in less developed countries – as well as the conventional land-use issues of physical planning.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Groundwater Policy and Projects, with Case Studies: Groundwater Economics, Volume 2
by Charles A. JobThe competition for groundwater sources as a water supply reinforces the need for a strong economic rationale in decision-making. Evaluating economic decisions in the context of total water management and life-cycle water use is essential to making critical development and remediation choices. This revised volume provides fundamental economic and policy concepts related to groundwater, discusses important factors in life-cycle cost-benefit evaluation and explains triple-bottom-line analysis for different groundwater projects. It includes new and updated case studies on groundwater issues with solutions for a range of situations based on economic data. FEATURES OF THIS VOLUME Provides an understanding for the fundamental economic approaches to groundwater policy and project evaluation Incorporates life-cycle cost-benefit approaches in a triple-bottom-line framework Includes new case studies on the economics of health protection, managed aquifer recharge, local versus regional supply and strategic life-cycle analysis Addresses local and regional groundwater economic choices through a series of practical applications Explores transboundary, international, climate change and macroeconomic factors influencing groundwater project and program decisions Cost-Benefit Analysis of Groundwater Policy and Projects, with Case Studies, Second Edition, the second volume of the two-volume set Groundwater Economics, is a must-have for any professional or student who needs to understand and evaluate water resources and manage their use from a variety of sustainable approaches.
Cost-Effective Control of Urban Smog: The Significance of the Chicago Cap-and-Trade Approach (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Economics)
by Richard Kosobud Houston Stokes Carol Tallarico Brian ScottContaining rigorous hard evidence, this book is of immense practical use to postgraduates, researchers and business communities affected by or working in environmental regulation. The author, a leading name in the environmental economics community, examines the problem of urban smog in cityscapes and the difficulty of achieving cost-effective controls. Analyzing the key areas of urban smog, low-level ozone and volatile organic compound emissions and their impact on health and welfare of communities this text assesses and evaluates the performance of emissions trading systems and suggests alternative market designs for incentive control of pollution. Taking a well-reasoned approach to the contentious area of the use of market incentives to achieve environmental goals, it provides a study of the pioneering cap-and-trade market, particularly focusing on its poor performance in Chicago. A perfect supplementary text postgraduates and researchers, this is also an essential read for all those interested in environmental economics.
Cost-efficient Wastewater Treatment Technologies: Natural Systems (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry #117)
by Mahmoud Nasr Abdelazim M. NegmThis is the first of two volumes that together provide a comprehensive overview of the current sustainable and low-cost wastewater treatment technologies applied in communities that lack the financial and technical resources needed for an environmental, disease prevention and health nexus.This book reviews natural wastewater treatment technologies and traces the current challenges in wastewater management and sustainability. Divided into 4 themed parts, the chapters from expert contributors cover topics such as simplified and low-energy natural treatment facilities, bioremediation and biotechnology for green future, environmental impact assessment of wastewater reuse, wastewater management and sustainability for irrigation, high-performance and cost-effective biosorbents for heavy metals removal, and eco-friendly nanomaterials for wastewater environmental management. The readers will discover essential recommendations for improving natural treatment systems to withstand emerging contaminants, namely, endocrine disruption chemicals, surfactants, personal care products, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Readers will also find valuable guidelines to ensure sustainable and innovative solutions for wastewater treatment in the light of climate change, resource, demand, and funding challenges.Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, the book offers an invaluable source of information for researchers, students and environmental managers alike.
Cost-efficient Wastewater Treatment Technologies: Engineered Systems (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry #118)
by Abdelazim M. Negm Mahmoud NasrThis is the second of two volumes that together provide a comprehensive overview of the current sustainable and low-cost wastewater treatment technologies applied in communities that lack the financial and technical resources needed for an environmental, disease prevention and health nexus. This book reviews engineered wastewater treatment technologies and discusses their application in regard to greenhouse gas emissions, natural resource utilization, land-use, and energy and water savings. The chapters from expert contributors cover topics such as aerobic and anaerobic biological treatments, chemical treatments and precipitation, and disinfection. Readers will also learn about simplified and low-energy wastewater treatment plants, strategies for wastewater reuse, and nanotechnologies for wastewater environmental management. The feasibility regarding time and cost of implementing such technologies is also discussed in this book, and particular attention is given to the removal of conventional and emerging pollutants, toxicants, and heavy metals. Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, the book offers an invaluable source of information for researchers, students and environmental managers alike.
The Cost of Being Landlocked: Logistics, Costs, and Supply Chain Reliability
by Gaël Raballand Jean-François Marteau Jean-François Arvis'The Cost of Being Landlocked' proposes a new analytical framework to interpret and model the constraints faced by logistics chains on international trade corridors. The plight of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) has naturally received special attention for decades, leading to a specific set of development priorities based upon the concept of dependence on the transit state. Therefore, the standard approach used to tackle the cost of being landlocked has been predominantly aimed at developing regional transport infrastructure and ensuring freedom of transit through regional conventions. But without sufficient attention given to the performance of logistics service delivery to traders, the standard approach is unable to address key bottleneck concerns and the factors that contribute to the cost of being landlocked. Consequently, the impact of massive investment on trade corridors could not materialize to its full extent. Based on extensive data collection in several regions of the world, this book argues that although landlocked developing countries do face high logistics costs, these costs are not a result of poor road infrastructure, since transport prices largely depend on trucking market structure and implementation of transit processes. This book suggests that high logistics costs in LLDCs are a result of low logistics reliability and predictability, which stem from rent-seeking and governance issues. 'The Cost of Being Landlocked' will serve as a useful guide for policy makers, supervisory authorities, and development agencies.
Cost Optimal and Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings: Definitions, Calculation Principles and Case Studies (Green Energy and Technology)
by Jarek KurnitskiCost optimal and nearly zero energy performance levels are principles initiated by the European Union's (EU) Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which was recast in 2010. These will be major drivers in the construction sector in the next few years, because all new buildings in the EU from 2021 onwards are expected to be nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB). This book introduces the technical definitions, system boundaries, energy calculation methodology and input data needed to set primary energy based minimum/cost optimal and nZEB requirements in national energy frames. Worked examples are provided to illustrate the calculation of delivered, exported and primary energy, and renewable energy contribution. Five case studies of high performance nZEB office buildings across Europe are reported to show alternative technical solutions and to draw some general design rules based on completed nZEB buildings. Specific features of the nZEB design process, especially in the early stages, and architectural competitions are included. These describe important design issues in the scoping and conceptual design phase, allowing design streams to be controlled so that specified targets can be met. This book is intended for readers who need to be aware of or are working with the energy performance of buildings - for decision makers in public and private sectors, architects, engineers, construction clients, consultants, contractors, manufacturers and students. The editor of this book, Professor Jarek Kurnitski has made major contributions to the preparation of the European REHVA nZEB technical definition and has developed energy calculation frames for current Estonian and Finnish energy performance regulations. He is the leader of nZEB research at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia and Aalto University in Finland, and he has over 300 publications.
Costa Rican Natural History: With 174 Contributors
by Daniel H. JanzenThis volume is a synthesis of existing knowledge about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. The major portion of the book consists of detailed accounts of agricultural species, vegetation, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and insects. "This is an extraordinary, virtually unique work. . . . The tremendous amount of original, previously unpublished, firsthand information is remarkable."—Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden "An essential resource for anyone interested in tropical biology. . . . It can be used both as an encyclopedia—a source of facts on specific organisms—and as a source of ideas and generalizations about tropical ecology."—Alan P. Smith, Ecology
The Costs of the Common Agricultural Policy (Routledge Library Editions: Agriculture #7)
by Allan E. Buckwell David R. Harvey Kenneth J. Thomson Kevin A. PartonFirst published in 1982. Considerable public controversy surrounded the large amount of public expenditure devoted to agriculture under the European Community’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). There were serious disputes over how the farm support system operated and how it was financed. This book describes the CAP situation and summarises previous attempts to assess some of the economic and financial flows arising from its creation using a common framework of well-established economic theory and methods. The CAP turned out to have a number of ‘costs’, depending on the concept of ‘cost’ used, the alternative policies considered, and the various assumptions made. The bulk of the book presents the structure and results of a comprehensive model of European Community agricultural markets and the associated CAP support mechanisms. This model is validated against official Community budget figures and then run to simulate a number of policy options and their consequences. This title will be of interest to students of economics, geography and agriculture.
Cottage Daze
by James RossThe comfort food of cottage life books — satisfying, unforgettable, and inevitably nostalgic. Cottage Daze celebrates life at the cottage where the cottage is the main character, and family, friends, pets, and fellow cottagers are the supporting cast. Whether writing about cottage routine ("First Ski," "Of Mice and Men," "Cottage Guests"), cottage tasks ("Splitting Wood," "Boat Launch"), nature ("A Gathering of Loons," "The Sting," "Autumn Spell"), cottage fun ("The Cottage Duel"), or cottage touchstones ("Start the Day," "Bonfire," "The Perfect Storm"), the stories are told with humour, compassion, insight, and nostalgia. Who doesn’t remember sitting in a frigid lake, trying to help a youngster get up on water skis for the first time, launching a boat while the whole world seems to be watching, or getting caught up in a nest of wasps? This collection of stories, elegantly organized into four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), will make readers laugh, cry, and long to be at the cottage a "must have" for every cottage bookshelf.
Cotton and Flax Fibre-Reinforced Geopolymer Composites: Synthesis, Properties and Applications (Composites Science and Technology)
by It-Meng Low Thamer Alomayri Hasan AssaediThis book provides an overview on the latest advances in the synthesis, properties and applications of geopolymers reinforced with natural fibres such as pulp fibre, cotton, sisal, flax and hemp. The influence of adding various natural fibres and nanofillers on the mechanical properties of these composites is discussed. Potential challenges and future directions of these composites are highlighted and addressed. The content of this book caters to students, researchers and academics who are interested in the synthesis and applications of geopolymers composites.
The Cotton Plantation South since the Civil War (Creating the North American Landscape)
by Charles S. AikenWinner of the J. B. Jackson Prize from the Association of American GeographersOriginally published in 1998. "The plantation," writes Charles Aiken, "is among the most misunderstood institutions of American history. The demise of the plantation has been pronounced many times, but the large industrial farms survive as significant parts of, not just the South's, but the nation's agriculture."In this sweeping historical and geographical account, Aiken traces the development of the Southern cotton plantation since the Civil War—from the emergence of tenancy after 1865, through its decline during the Depression, to the post-World War Two development of the large industrial farm.Tracing the geographical changes in plantation agriculture and the plantation regions after 1865, Aiken shows how the altered landscape of the South has led many to the false conclusion that the plantation has vanished. In fact, he explains, while certain regions of the South have reverted to other uses, the cotton plantation survives in a form that is, in many ways, remarkably similar to that of its antebellum predecessors.Aiken also describes the evolving relationship of African-Americans to the cotton plantation during the thirteen decades of economic, social, and political changes from Reconstruction through the War on Poverty—including the impact of alterations in plantation agriculture and the mass migration of Southern blacks to the urban North during the twentieth century.Richly illustrated with more than 130 maps and photographs (many original and many from FSA photographers), The Cotton Plantation South is a vivid and colorful account of landscape, geography, race, politics, and civil rights as they relate to one of America's most enduring and familiar institutions.
Cotton Production and Uses: Agronomy, Crop Protection, and Postharvest Technologies
by Mirza Hasanuzzaman Shakeel AhmadThis book provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the recent developments in cotton production and processing, including a number of genetic approaches, such as GM cotton for pest resistance, which have been hotly debated in recent decades. In the era of climate change, cotton is facing diverse abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, toxic metals and environmental pollutants. As such, scientists are developing stress-tolerant cultivars using agronomic, genetic and molecular approaches. Gathering papers on these developments, this timely book is a valuable resource for a wide audience, including plant scientists, agronomists, soil scientists, botanists, environmental scientists and extention workers.
Cotton Top
by Jean O'NeillSarah Jane (nicknamed Cotton Top) is a little Appalachian girl who is thankful for everything she has until a little girl from the city comes to visit. Then she learns new reasons to appreciate everything about her home.
Cotton, Water, Salts and Soums: Economic and Ecological Restructuring in Khorezm, Uzbekistan
by Inna Rudenko P.L.G. Vlek John P.A. Lamers Christopher MartiusThis book summarizes a long-term research project addressing land and water use in the irrigated areas of the Aral Sea basin. In an interdisciplinary approach, natural and human sciences are combined to elucidate the challenges of economic transition that affect the use of land, water and biological resources, ecological sustainability, economic efficiency and the livelihoods of the local population. The research focuses on Khorezm, a region in Uzbekistan, located on the Amudarya river, in the heart of Central Asia. A series of chapters describes the biophysical environment and the aspects of society and institutions that shape land and water use. The book discusses options and tools to improve land and water management, and to reform the economic system management, based on agronomic, hydrological, economic ans social studies and modeling. The insights are not only important for Uzbekistan, but for all countries in transitions and irrigated dryland areas elsewhere.
Cougar: Ecology and Conservation
by Maurice Hornocker Sharon NegriThis compilation of recent findings, stunning photographs, and firsthand accounts of field research unravels the mysteries of the magnificent animal Cougar and emphasizes its importance in healthy ecosystem processes and in our lives.
Cougar Bay Nature Preserve: Saving Coeur d'Alene's Natural Gem (The History Press)
by Theresa ShafferFighting for Ecological Heritage In 1992, a Hawaiian developer proposed a subdivision on Cougar Bay's northern shore, just two miles south of Coeur d'Alene. Dedicated, tenacious locals took on the seemingly impossible goal of stopping the "Cougar Beach" development. Unlikely allies--environmental activists and a cantankerous landowner--banded together. Private and public groups stepped up. In 1997, The Nature Conservancy purchased major shoreline areas and created a nature preserve. The sanctuary remained unaltered until more private land was gifted to the Bureau of Land Management and Kootenai County. After thirteen years of heroic perseverance, the Cougar Bay Nature Preserve became a reality. Idaho Wildlife Viewing Guide calls it one of the state's best wildlife viewing sites. Theresa Shaffer chronicles the battle to preserve this oasis for locals, visitors and wildlife alike.
The Cougar Conundrum: Sharing the World with a Successful Predator
by Mark ElbrochThe relationship between humans and mountain lions has always been uneasy. A century ago, mountain lions were vilified as a threat to livestock and hunted to the verge of extinction. In recent years, this keystone predator has made a remarkable comeback, but today humans and mountain lions appear destined for a collision course. Its recovery has led to an unexpected conundrum: Do more mountain lions mean they're a threat to humans and domestic animals? Or, are mountain lions still in need of our help and protection as their habitat dwindles and they're forced into the edges and crevices of communities to survive? Mountain lion biologist and expert Mark Elbroch welcomes these tough questions. He dismisses long-held myths about mountain lions and uses groundbreaking science to uncover important new information about their social habits. Elbroch argues that humans and mountain lions can peacefully coexist in close proximity if we ignore uninformed hype and instead arm ourselves with knowledge and common sense. He walks us through the realities of human safety in the presence of mountain lions, livestock safety, competition with hunters for deer and elk, and threats to rare species, dispelling the paranoia with facts and logic. In the last few chapters, he touches on human impacts on mountain lions and the need for a sensible management strategy. The result, he argues, is a win-win for humans, mountain lions, and the ecosystems that depend on keystone predators to keep them in healthy balance. The Cougar Conundrum delivers a clear-eyed assessment of a modern wildlife challenge, offering practical advice for wildlife managers, conservationists, hunters, and those in the wildland-urban interface who share their habitat with large predators.
Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?
by Alan WeismanA powerful investigation into the chances for humanity's future from the author of the bestseller The World Without Us.In his bestselling book The World Without Us, Alan Weisman considered how the Earth could heal and even refill empty niches if relieved of humanity's constant pressures. Behind that groundbreaking thought experiment was his hope that we would be inspired to find a way to add humans back to this vision of a restored, healthy planet-only in harmony, not mortal combat, with the rest of nature.But with a million more of us every 4¿ days on a planet that's not getting any bigger, and with our exhaust overheating the atmosphere and altering the chemistry of the oceans, prospects for a sustainable human future seem ever more in doubt. For this long awaited follow-up book, Weisman traveled to more than 20 countries to ask what experts agreed were probably the most important questions on Earth--and also the hardest: How many humans can the planet hold without capsizing? How robust must the Earth's ecosystem be to assure our continued existence? Can we know which other species are essential to our survival? And, how might we actually arrive at a stable, optimum population, and design an economy to allow genuine prosperity without endless growth?Weisman visits an extraordinary range of the world's cultures, religions, nationalities, tribes, and political systems to learn what in their beliefs, histories, liturgies, or current circumstances might suggest that sometimes it's in their own best interest to limit their growth. The result is a landmark work of reporting: devastating, urgent, and, ultimately, deeply hopeful.By vividly detailing the burgeoning effects of our cumulative presence, Countdown reveals what may be the fastest, most acceptable, practical, and affordable way of returning our planet and our presence on it to balance. Weisman again shows that he is one of the most provocative journalists at work today, with a book whose message is so compelling that it will change how we see our lives and our destiny.
Countdown to Extinction
by Barbara Gaines WinkelmanChildren's book about the study and research into dinosaurs that have become extinct.
Counter Revanchist Art in the Global City: Walls, Blockades, and Barricades as Repertoires of Creative Action (Routledge Studies in Urbanism and the City)
by Leah ModiglianiThrough analyses of public artworks that have taken the form of blockades and barricades since the 1990s, this book theorises artists’ responses to global inequities as cultural manifestations of counter-revanchism in diverse urban centres. This book is the first to analyse artworks as forms of counter-revanchism in the context of the rise of the global city. How do artists channel the global spatial conflicts of the 21st century through their behaviours, actions, and constructions in and on the actually existing conditions of the street? What does it mean for artists—the very symbol of freedom of personal expression—to shut down space? To refuse entry? To block others’ passage? The late critical geographer Neil Smith’s influential writing on the revanchist city is used as a theoretical frame for understanding how contemporary artists engender the public sphere through their work in public urban spaces. Each chapter is a case study that analyses artworks that have taken the form of walls and barricades in China, USA, UK, Ukraine, and Mexico. In doing so, the author draws upon diverse fields including art history, geography, philosophy, political science, theatre studies, and urban studies to situate the art in a broader context of the humanities with the aim of modelling interdisciplinary research grounded in an ethics of solidarity with global social justice work. Collectively these case studies reveal how artists’ local responses to urban revanchism since the end of the Cold War are productive reorientations of social relations and harbingers of worlds to come. By using plain language and avoiding excessive academic jargon, the book is accessible to a wide variety of readers. It will appeal to scholars and graduate students in the fields of studio art, modern and contemporary art history, performance studies, visual culture, and visual studies; especially in relation to those interested in conceptual practices, performance art, site-specificity, public art, political activism, and socially engaged art. Cultural geographers and urban theorists interested in the social and political ramifications of temporary and everyday urbanism will also find the analysis of artworks relevant to their own studies.
Counteracting Urban Heat Island Effects in a Global Climate Change Scenario
by Francesco MuscoUrban heat islands are a new type of microclimatic phenomenon that causes a significant increase in the temperature of cities compared to surrounding areas. The phenomenon has been enforced by the current trend towards climate change. Although experts consider urban heat islands an urgent European Union public health concern, there are too few policies that address it. The EU carried out a project to learn more about this phenomenon through pilot initiatives. The pilots included feasibility studies and strategies for appropriately altering planning rules and governance to tackle the problem of urban heat islands. The pilots were carried out in eight metropolitan areas: Bologna/Modena, Budapest, Ljubljana, Lodz, Prague, Stuttgart, Venice/Padova, and Vienna. The feasibility studies carried out in these pilot areas focused on the specific morphology of EU urban areas, which are often characterised by the presence of historical old towns.
Countering 21st Century Social-Environmental Threats to Growing Global Populations (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)
by Frederic R. SiegelThis book brings together in a single volume a grand overview of solutions - political, economic, and scientific - to social and environmental problems that are related to the growth of human populations in areas that can least cope with them now. Through progressive adaptation to social and environmental changes projected for the future, including population growth, global warming/climate change, water deficits, and increasing competition for other natural resources, the world may be able to achieve a fair degree of sustainability for some time into the future.
Countering Dispossession, Reclaiming Land: A Social Movement Ethnography
by David E. GilbertTwo decades ago, a group of Indonesian agricultural workers began occupying the agribusiness plantation near their homes. In the years since, members of this remarkable movement have reclaimed collective control of their land and cultivated diverse agricultural forests on it, repairing the damage done over nearly a century of abuse. Countering Dispossession, Reclaiming Land is their story. David E. Gilbert offers an account of the ways these workers-turned-activists mobilized to move beyond industrial agriculture's exploitation of workers and the environment, illustrating how emancipatory and ecologically attuned ways of living with land are possible. At a time when capitalism has remade landscapes and reordered society, the Casiavera reclaiming movement stands as an inspiring example of what struggles for social and environmental justice can achieve.