A primer on environmental decision-making: an integrative quantitative approach PDF
Preview A primer on environmental decision-making: an integrative quantitative approach
A Primer on Environmental Decision-Making A Primer on Environmental Decision-Making An Integrative Quantitative Approach by Knut Lehre Seip Department of Engineering, Oslo University College, Oslo, Norway and Fred Wenstø p Department of Strategy and Logistics, BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway AC.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN-10 1-4020-4073-3 (HB) ISBN-13 978-1-4020-4073-3 (HB) ISBN-10 1-4020-5067-4 (e-book) ISBN-13 978-1-4020-5067-4 (e-book) Published by Springer, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AADordrecht, The Netherlands. www.springer.com Printed on acid-free paper All Rights Reserved © 2006 Springer No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface............................................................................................................ix Part 1 Environmental Decision Making: Overview Chapter 1 Introduction......................................................................................................3 Chapter 2 Decision-Making Concepts: Introduction of basic concepts in environmental decision-making.................7 Chapter 3 Getting Started: A step by step outline of the rational decision analysis process....................21 Chapter 4 Integrated Assessment: Comprehensive analysis of environmental impacts of projects....................43 Chapter 5 Economics: A brief introduction to environmental resource economics..........................63 Chapter 6 Game Theory: With applications to the management of common resources........................91 vi Table of Contents Chapter 7 Preferences: Elicitation of decision-maker values...........................................................109 Chapter 8 Willingness to pay: The value of environmental resources and services....................................123 Part 2 The Subjective Experience: Overview Chapter 9 Ethics: Ethical principles for environmental management......................................149 Chapter 10 Quality of Life: Recreation, cultural experience and life quality standards..........................167 Chapter 11 Aesthetics: The aesthetical value of landscape and cityscape........................................181 Part 3 Ecological Principles and Processes: Overview Chapter 12 Ecology: Ecological concepts.....................................................................................205 Chapter 13 Harvesting: Sustainability, footprints, and harvesting economics..................................235 Chapter 14 Toxins: Toxicity of pollutants for humans and ecosystems.....................................253 Chapter 15 Soil and Sediment: Physics and chemistry of soils and sediments – soil loss and formation....267 Table of Contents vii Chapter 16 Hydrology: Rain, runoff, evaporation and storage.........................................................285 Part 4 The Natural Environment: Overview Chapter 17 Lake: Surface water environments and water quality............................................309 Chapter 18 River: Water environment – rivers and wetlands...................................................339 Chapter 19 Terrestrial Environment: Habitat suitability in natural terrestrial environments.................................359 Chapter 20 Agriculture and Land Use: Agriculture and land use with emphasis on developing countries..............387 Chapter 21 Air: Emission, dispersion and effects of airborne pollution...............................411 Chapter 22 Climate: Climate, ecosystems and anthropogenic emissions.....................................437 References....................................................................................................457 Index.............................................................................................................483 PREFACE Inspiration: We became inspired to write a book like this way back in the 1980s when we worked together in an oil pollution prevention program, charged with recommending a national optimal level of preparedness against oil spills. One of us was a natural scientist working in biology and chemistry, the other a managerial scientist working in decision analysis. We realized quickly that the combination could be fruitful. We saw how a structured approach can make a project move forward smoothly and efficiently. We realized that the key is to first clarify values, and then to determine how they should be measured in terms of decision criteria, the field of the decision analyst. Then follows the consequence analysis, which is the arena of natural scientists and economists. At the end, however, somebody has to actually make decisions, and that implies weighting the criteria. We realised that this is intrinsically a question of subjective preferences, where regard for the wishes of stakeholders is important. This book is an attempt to bring these insights together, in a comprehensive framework that draws on knowledge from the natural sciences, economics as well as management. The book is based on experience from environmental and business projects, as well as studies in preparation for lectures on decision analyses. One of us gives lectures mainly with a business orientation (FW), and the other with an environmental orientation (KLS). The lectures have been given mostly at the master’s level, most often with a strong emphasis on project work. We have also given guest lectures in European and Asian countries. It has always been an inspiration to discover new environmental challenges and other preferences that mirror the living conditions in the countries we visit. In particular, having students from different cultures in the same project groups has been enchanting for us, as we believe it has been for the students. x Preface The book’s personality: We present first a framework for decision- making, and then elaborate on the different subjects in subsequent chapters. The intention is always to provide readers with tools for approaching real problems. The challenge is to learn how to screen environmental questions for validity, solvability and methodological approach. This requires a certain level of superficiality at the outset, but within constraints. At its best, it separates what is important from what is peripheral and subject to budgetary restraints. Quantitative models: Environmental sciences have developed an abun- dance of dose-response relations, and we have presented a selection of particularly simple models that have proven useful. Usually there are more extensive models that could do a better job, but they do not have the same pedagogical merit. Thank you: Among the people that have read the whole document, or bits and pieces and who gave us valuable advice and criticism, we would like to thank: Rune Baklien, Mounir Banoub, Marek Biesiada, Birgit Cold, Edward J.W. Chikhwenda, Sylvain Doledec, Jadwiga Gzyl, Chris Johnson, Gordon H. Orians, Hans Martin Seip, Val Smith, Pierre Sagnes. Bernard Stazner, Elizabeth Skjelsvik, Kouadio Tano and last, but not least, our students who learned that two things are important for good learning: enthusiasm and the feeling of contributing new knowledge to an important part of society. Web Page: On the web pages of the book we have included additional basic equations that have been developed in ecological and environmental studies. The authors welcome any suggestions for new equations that can replace or supplement the ones that we have selected. We also welcome new applications to supplement our own selection. Please contact Knut Lehre seip via email: [email protected] or Fred Wenstøp via e-mail [email protected] Part 1 ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION MAKING Overview Chapters 1. INTRODUCTION. 2. DECISION-MAKING CONCEPTS: Introduction of basic concepts in environmental decision-making. 3. GETTING STARTED: A step by step outline of the rational decision analysis process. 4. INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT: Comprehensive analysis of environ- mental impacts of projects. 5. ECONOMICS: A brief introduction to environmental resource economics. 6. GAME THEORY: With applications to the management of common resources. 7. PREFERENCES: Elicitation of decision-maker values. 8. WILLINGNESS TO PAY: The value of environmental resources and services. This part of the book deals with basic concepts of environmental decision- making and economics, and provides a framework and a structure for analysis of environmental management-problems. Chapter 3, especially, is a comprehensive introduction to how you may proceed if you want to perform your own analysis, serving as a reference for the rest of the book.
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