Assessing the economic viability of alternative water resources in water-scarce regions: Combining economic valuation, cost-benefit analysis and discounting PDF Download

Author: Yiannis Kountouris
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Author: P. Pashardes
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 940159984X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
The marginal price elasticities estimated by Martinez-Espineira conforms to expectation. The price specification that accounts for the changing proportion of water users in each block yields a higher elasticity (-0. 47) compared to the spec ification ignoring this feature of the data. However, this difference is not found to be statistically significant, a result attributed to the low power of the test (small sample size limiting the accuracy of estimates). In conclusion, the paper provides a theoretically correct price specification for demand functions under block pricing and aggregate data. The empirical findings in the paper, however, are not conclusive and further empirical work using more data and alternative (nonlinear) demand functions, is needed to show the practical implications of the arguments put forward by the Martinez-Espineira's paper. Static empirical consumer demand functions estimated with aggregate data are well known to suffer form serial correlation and other statistical problems asso ciated with misspecified dynamics. These dynamics arise because consumers do not react immediately to a change in prices due to their largely predetermined lifestyle. In the case of demand for water, for example, current purchases can be largely predetermined due to commitments arising from past purchases such as swimming pools, bathtubs, dishwashing machines, etc. Muellbauer and Pashardes (1992) show that the autoregressive nature of consumer demand data can be cap tured in a theoretically consistent manner by incorporating intertemporal aspects of consumer behaviour in the model through habit formation and durability.

Author: Marta Villar Ezcurra
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1789904188
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 303

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As populations become increasingly concentrated in urban centres and mega cities, while demands on transportation continue to grow, the question of how to mitigate the environmental footprint of these trends is ever more pressing. This comprehensive book demonstrates the potentially significant role of environmental taxation and other market-based instruments in meeting these challenges.

Author: Manuel Lago
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319182870
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
This book assesses both the effectiveness and efficiency of implemented Economic Policy Instruments (EPIs) in order to achieve water policy goals and identifies the preconditions under which they outperform alternative (e.g. regulatory) policy instruments and/or can complement them as part of complex policy mixes. The development of a consolidated assessment framework helps clarify (and where possible, quantify) the effectiveness of each EPI on the basis of different criteria. Outcome-oriented criteria describe how the EPIs perform. They include intended and unintended economic and environmental outcomes and the distribution of benefits and costs among the affected parties. These steps consider the application of cost effectiveness and cost benefits analysis, e.g. to assess ex-post performance of the EPI. Process criteria describe the institutional conditions (legislative, political, cultural, etc.) affecting the formation and operation of the EPI studied (particularly relevant for assessing the possible impacts of using economic instruments), the transaction costs involved in implementing and enforcing the instruments and the process of implementation. Case studies from Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as from Australia, Chile, Israel and the USA are presented in this book. A wide variety of EPIs are also covered, including water-pricing schemes (tariffs, environmental taxes, environmental charges or fees, subsidies on products and practices), trading schemes (tradable permits for abstraction and pollution) and cooperation mechanisms.

Author: Phoebe Koundouri
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9048198259
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
The dilemma facing Cyprus—that of limited water supplies (both in terms of quantity and quality) in the face of steadily increasing water demand, coupled with a fragmented institutional structure of the water sector—is characteristic of most arid and semi-arid countries all over the world. Another common characteristic of Cyprus is that the water management administrative boundaries there do not coincide with the hydrological ones, while the ongoing political problem of the island creates significant administration problems.

Author: Roy Brouwer
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
How are the economic values of water and water quality accounted for in policy and project appraisal? This important book gives an overview of the state-of-the-art in Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) in water resources management throughout Europe and North America, along with an examination of current applications. The distinguished authors highlight problems and challenges encountered in the use of CBA in 15 country-specific case studies. Based on these case studies, the value and limits of CBA in water resources management are assessed and special attention is paid to the institutional and policy context in which CBA is carried out. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Water Resources Management is written for both academics and policymakers interested in the use and usefulness of CBA in water resources management.

Author: Jiaguo Qi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402089600
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Book Description
Over the last 60 years, we have recognized increasingly that our world is connected, and the impacts of environmental catastrophes and economic crises in one region of our world have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences globally. Central Asia is a developing region with great potential, but there are valid concerns that current resource management practices are not sustainable, particularly with regard to the management of water resources. Recent changes in social structures, accompanied by regional climate change, have caused substantial environmental changes leading to security concerns in the region. As a result, the local economy has been significantly impacted to the extent that the potential for social unrest is of great concern. This book explores new technologies and adaptation strategies to mitigate these environmental problems and cope with continued environmental change with the ultimate goal of promoting sustainable growth and improved quality of life in the region.

Author: Luis Santos Pereira
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402095791
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
One of the main problems confronting the world of the 21st Century is a shortage of water. There is already severe scarcity in many regions of the world, causing tremendous problems for local populations and indeed entire societies. There is insufficient water available for the production of food to alleviate poverty and starvation; the lack of water hampers industrial, urban and tourism development, forcing restrictions on other sectors, especially agriculture; health problems arise as the deterioration of ground and surface waters favours water-borne diseases, which flourish in the absence of decent water distribution and sewerage systems. Water conflicts still arise in areas under stress, while water for nature has become a vanishing priority in such zones. This book is a guide to the establishment of regional and/or local guidelines for developing and implementing new ideas for coping with water scarcity. The basic premise underlying the book is that water scarcity will persist, so personal, human and society-wide skills will be needed to cope with it while living in harmony with the necessary environmental constraints. The book provides basic information to assist decision makers, water managers, engineers, agronomists, social scientists and other professions (and their students) in formulating coherent, hopefully harmonious and consolidated views on the issue. Guidelines are also given for introducing the general public to the concept of water scarcity and how to deal with it.

Author: Maggie Black
Publisher: New Internationalist
ISBN: 1780263759
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Completely updated, the new edition of this groundbreaking atlas maps the competing claims on limited water supplies – made by farmers, industrialists and householders – and investigates the uses and abuses of the resource, as well as the vexed question of how it can be equitably managed.

Author: Theodoros Zachariadis
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319296884
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
This book provides a concise overview of facts and projections about climate change in Cyprus and its region until the end of the 21st century. Climate change is expected to have adverse effects in Mediterranean Europe – the most serious compared to other European regions. Being an island state with a semi-arid climate in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus is located in a hot spot. Based on the information available in the literature, it highlights the expected natural, economic and societal impacts of climate change and presents recommendations for the implementation of a national adaptation strategy. Despite the dismal outlook arising from this review, the book demonstrates that coping with climate change is possible, provided that proactive actions are taken by both the public and the private sector. Public authorities need to set clear priorities and set up adequate monitoring mechanisms that can help avoid large natural and economic damages at a later stage. Enabling private adaptation investments and properly pricing the use of natural resources are key priorities for investing in a climate resilient economy.