Product Description
Eco-efficiency has long been a concept: the intention of reducing environmental impact while increasing environmental value. Its origins are with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. However, in a globalized world with sustained economic growth environmental degradation is threatening. Macro level requirements on sustainability should be reflected in the eco-efficiency of choices at a micro level, like on technologies, supply chains and product systems. Eco-efficiency analysis has come to fruition as a fully quantified method for analysis, linking to specific domains of economic modelling, specific environmental models, and several methods for integrating these two domains into eco-efficiency scores. This eco-efficiency analysis can guide choices in policy, business, and - consumptions activities, all from a single common background.
A central asset of eco-efficiency analysis is that it does not depend on a specific evaluation of environmental impacts against economic effects, avoiding the often disputed results of neo-classical evaluation methods. For integrating the different environmental scores several evaluation methods may be used - including those based on willingness-to-pay, panel procedures, and public statements on policy goals. Each may have advantages, but in line with the normative neutrality strived for in eco-efficiency, - these preference and value choices may be avoided to some extent. - This can be done either by taking a common denominator or by having less demanding objectives, - for instance - focusing on efficiency of measures only.
A - substantial Japanese paper on Maximum Abatement Cost method and a paper - on revealed public preferences in the Netherlands comprise the first section on methods. Next, there are four sections on domains of application of eco-efficiency analysis. - In the - Agriculture section, a case on conservation agriculture in China is worked out, using input-output analysis. In the Ind