May 1, 2024
Updated May 11, 2025
25 minute read
Environmental economics is a specialized field that examines the intricate relationship between economic activity and the natural world. It seeks to understand how human production and consumption impact the environment, and conversely, how environmental factors influence economic decisions and outcomes. This discipline has gained considerable importance as global society grapples with pressing issues like climate change, resource depletion, and pollution. Essentially, environmental economics provides a framework and tools to analyze these challenges, evaluate the costs and benefits of various environmental policies, and ultimately guide society towards more sustainable economic practices.
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Reading list
We've selected 25 books
that we think will supplement your
learning. Use these to
develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a
deeper understanding of the topics covered in
Environmental Economics.
This widely used textbook offering a comprehensive overview of both environmental and natural resource economics. It provides a strong foundation in economic theory as applied to environmental issues and includes numerous case studies, making it suitable for gaining a broad understanding. The latest editions incorporate updated data and a more international perspective, making it a valuable current reference for undergraduate and graduate students.
This comprehensive textbook provides a thorough overview of environmental economics, covering both theoretical foundations and practical applications. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as policymakers and practitioners in the field.
This recent and highly significant review emphasizes the economic importance of biodiversity and calls for fundamental changes in how we value nature in economic decision-making. It's essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary topics and the integration of ecological principles into economics.
This landmark report provides a comprehensive economic analysis of the impacts of climate change and the costs and benefits of taking action. While published in 2006, its framing of climate change as a major economic issue and its methodology have been highly influential. It's a crucial read for understanding the economic arguments for climate action, particularly for upper-level students and professionals interested in climate policy.
This textbook offers a rigorous and detailed treatment of environmental economics, focusing specifically on pollution problems. It assumes an understanding of intermediate microeconomics and is well-suited for advanced undergraduate and graduate students looking to deepen their theoretical understanding. It delves into market failures and government regulation with significant detail.
Offers a balanced approach to environmental economics, integrating theory with numerous international empirical studies. It's suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and can serve as a valuable reference for professionals due to its comprehensive coverage of key areas and recent research.
Provides an in-depth look at the economic analysis of environmental policies. It's particularly relevant for understanding how economic instruments can be used to address environmental problems. This strong resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students focusing on policy aspects.
Another comprehensive textbook covering both environmental and natural resource economics. It provides a strong theoretical grounding with a balance of applications and examples, suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The various editions reflect updates in the field.
This textbook provides a rigorous, graduate-level treatment of environmental economics theory. It's suitable for students with a strong quantitative background and is designed for a dedicated course in the subject. It delves into advanced theoretical models and concepts.
Key resource for understanding the methods used to value environmental goods and services that are not traded in markets. It covers both revealed and stated preference methods in detail. This is essential reading for those focusing on the empirical side of environmental economics and policy analysis.
Providing a less technical introduction than some other textbooks, this book is excellent for those new to the field or seeking a broad understanding without a deep economics background. It covers core concepts clearly and includes policy applications, making it accessible for high school and early undergraduate students. It serves as valuable foundational reading before tackling more advanced texts.
This foundational text in ecological economics offers a different perspective than traditional environmental economics, emphasizing the integration of ecological principles into economic thought. It's crucial for understanding alternative approaches to sustainability and is valuable for students and professionals interested in interdisciplinary perspectives.
Delves into the complex and critical issue of discounting in the context of long-term environmental problems like climate change. It's a more specialized text suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in the theoretical underpinnings of cost-benefit analysis in environmental economics.
This provocative book presents a controversial argument about the potential unintended consequences of environmental policies on fossil fuel extraction. It offers a critical perspective on traditional climate policies and is valuable for advanced students and professionals interested in contemporary debates in environmental economics.
Complementing environmental economics, this book focuses on the economic principles related to the extraction and management of natural resources like forests, water, and minerals. It's valuable for gaining a broader understanding of the resource half of environmental and resource economics.
This highly influential and controversial book used system dynamics modeling to project the consequences of exponential growth on a finite planet. While its specific predictions have been debated, it remains a classic for highlighting the potential for environmental and societal collapse under continued growth. It's essential reading for understanding the historical context of environmental concerns in economics.
Considered a classic in the field, this book provides a foundational theoretical analysis of environmental policy, particularly focusing on externalities. While older, its rigorous treatment of core concepts remains highly relevant for graduate students and researchers. It's more valuable for its theoretical depth than as a source of recent data or contemporary issues.
Explores the intersection of behavioral economics and environmental issues, examining how human behavior influences environmental outcomes and policy effectiveness. It's a valuable resource for those interested in a more nuanced understanding of individual and group responses to environmental challenges and policies.
This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of environmental and natural resource economics, with a focus on policy analysis. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as policymakers and practitioners in the field.
This concise book offers a brief and accessible overview of the core concepts in environmental economics. It's an excellent starting point for anyone looking for a quick introduction to the subject before committing to more in-depth texts. Ideal for high school students or those with limited time.
Provides a comprehensive assessment of the economics of climate change, covering both adaptation and mitigation strategies. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as economists and policymakers in the field.
A foundational text in natural resource economics, this book challenges the idea of increasing resource scarcity due to technological advancements and substitution. While dated, it's a classic for understanding the historical debate on resource limits and is relevant for students interested in the evolution of thought in the field. It provides important background for contemporary discussions on sustainability.
This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of environmental economics in Spanish. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as economists and policymakers in the field.
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