Sustainability and externalities: Is the internalization of externalities a sufficient condition for sustainability?

In an important contribution in Ecological Economics, van de Bergh (2010) correctly concludes that sustainability does not imply zero externalities. However, he continues with the Delphic statement "(Delphic statements were uttered by the renowned oracle of ancient Greece at Delphi. They were phrased in such a way as to be self-fulfilling because alternative interpretations covered every possibility.)" "Without externalities the problem of sustainability vanishes". If this statement refers to an impossible economic process that produces no externalities then he is right. However, it might be interpreted as stating that whenever environmental policy internalizes environmental externalities then sustainability will be ensured. In this note, I assert that in the real world where externalities prevail, their internalization or neutralization in the traditional way cannot lead to sustainability. Only if internalization takes a very specific form that results in the inviolable preservation of environmental rights of future generations in pure biological terms can sustainability be ensured. After revised the original commentary I resubmit it. The issues raised by the editor have been carefully considered.Environmental externalities Sustainable development Environmental rights Economic instruments Non-renewable resources

The sustainable residential water use: Sustainability, efficiency and social equity. The European experience

The present paper traces the operational conditions governing the sustainable use of water in cities. Towards this objective, the paper first proposes a new comprehensive definition for the sustainable use of water. Next, efficiency in use is proposed as a fundamental instrument in achieving sustainability, in spite of prevailing opinions maintaining that sustainability and efficiency aim at different and probably conflicting objectives. In this light, several pricing modes that inhibit efficiency are examined and their effects are defined. In this context, egalitarian pricing which, nevertheless, prevents efficiency, is also systematically evaluated until it is ascertained that it does not serve social equity in the use of water, in the long run. All the more, the present paper advocates that certain egalitarian pricing systems such as the increasing block rates - most prevalent at this time - may have the reverse effect than the one intended and hence, in the long run, impose negative impacts on the welfare of low incomes. As a result, full-cost prices are proposed as a necessary instrument for the sustainable use of water; an instrument that promotes social equity in the long run. The assumptions of the study are examined in a comparative analysis of representative European pricing systems and urban management modes.Sustainable water use Efficient water use Water pricing Increasing block rates Egalitarian pricing Water policy Water economics Water management

Coupling versus Decoupling? Challenging Evidence over the Link between Economic Growth and Resource Use

With the UN indicating that climate objectives are well off track, the dependency of the economy on resources remains a crucial issue demanding holistic consideration. As a key global sustainability issue, the linkage between resource use and economic growth has long been under heated debate. The increasing amount of resources used for economic growth has elevated environmentalists’ concerns over resource scarcity and environmental impacts, suggesting the existence of coupling between resources and the economy. In contrast, the declining Material Intensity (MI)—resources needed to produce one unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—has led to optimism for many economists and decision makers with far reaching implications for resources and economic policies. Through novel divergence indicators by using long-term datasets, we find that there has been increasing divergence between total and per capita resources use and MI at both the global and the national level. This increasing divergence is due to the faster growth in the total and per capita amount of resources rather than the reduction in the amount of resources per unit of GDP (MI). These divergences indicate underappreciated challenges and opportunities for sustainable economic growth, resource management and implementation of circular economy policies

Coupling versus Decoupling? Challenging Evidence over the Link between Economic Growth and Resource Use

With the UN indicating that climate objectives are well off track, the dependency of the economy on resources remains a crucial issue demanding holistic consideration. As a key global sustainability issue, the linkage between resource use and economic growth has long been under heated debate. The increasing amount of resources used for economic growth has elevated environmentalists’ concerns over resource scarcity and environmental impacts, suggesting the existence of coupling between resources and the economy. In contrast, the declining Material Intensity (MI)—resources needed to produce one unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—has led to optimism for many economists and decision makers with far reaching implications for resources and economic policies. Through novel divergence indicators by using long-term datasets, we find that there has been increasing divergence between total and per capita resources use and MI at both the global and the national level. This increasing divergence is due to the faster growth in the total and per capita amount of resources rather than the reduction in the amount of resources per unit of GDP (MI). These divergences indicate underappreciated challenges and opportunities for sustainable economic growth, resource management and implementation of circular economy policies

Decisive Conditions for an Effective and Efficient Multi-modal Freight Transport Network in Europe: A Meta-Analytic Perspective

The paper addresses the issue of intermodality in European transport policy. Its aim is to derive critical factors for an effective and efficient multimodal freight transport network in Europe. The results of a survey among European transport experts are presented, while a new meta-analytic technique - roughset analysis - is deployed to infer testable conclusions

ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΗ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝΤΟΣ. ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΗΝ ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ ΒΙΩΣΙΜΗ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΗ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗ. ΘΕΩΡΙΑ-ΥΠΟΔΕΙΓΜΑΤΑ

ΣΤΟΧΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΔΙΑΤΡΙΒΗΣ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΝΑ ΕΞΕΤΑΣΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΝΕΟΕΜΦΑΝΙΖΟΜΕΝΗ ΕΝΝΟΙΑ ΤΗΣ "ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ ΒΙΩΣΙΜΗΣ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΗΣ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ" ΣΤΟ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΟ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΡΑΔΟΣΙΑΚΩΝ ΘΕΩΡΗΣΕΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝΤΟΣ. ΕΤΣΙ ΑΡΧΙΚΑ ΕΠΙΧΕΙΡΕΙΤΑΙ Η ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΝΕΟΕΜΦΑΝΙΖΟΜΕΝΗΣ ΕΝΝΟΙΑΣ. ΕΙΔΙΚΟΤΕΡΑ ΕΝΤΟΠΙΖΟΝΤΑΙ ΟΙ ΣΥΝΘΗΚΕΣ ΕΠΙΤΕΥΞΗΣ ΤΗΣ "ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ ΒΙΩΣΙΜΗΣ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΗΣ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ". ΤΟΤΕ ΕΞΕΤΑΖΟΥΜΕ ΕΑΝ ΟΙ ΣΥΝΘΗΚΕΣΑΥΤΕΣ ΙΚΑΝΟΠΟΙΟΥΝΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΛΥΣΕΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝΤΙΚΟΥ ΠΡΟΒΛΗΜΑΤΟΣ ΠΟΥ ΕΜΦΑΝΙΖΟΝΤΑΙ ΣΤΟ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΡΑΔΟΣΙΑΚΗΣ "ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝΤΟΣ". ΠΑΡΑΛΛΗΛΑ ΔΙΕΡΕΥΝΩΝΤΑΙ ΤΑ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΑ ΜΙΑΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΗΝ "ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ ΒΙΩΣΙΜΗ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗ". ΤΕΛΟΣ ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ Η ΧΡΗΣΗ ΜΑΘΗΜΑΤΙΚΩΝ ΜΟΝΤΕΛΩΝ ΓΙΑ ΝΑ ΚΑΘΟΡΙΣΤΕΙ ΣΕ ΕΠΙΠΕΔΟ ΕΦΑΡΜΟΓΗΣ Η ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΗΝ "ΟΙΚΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ ΒΙΩΣΙΜΗ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗ".THE POLITICAL TERM OF "ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT" (ESED) ISINTRODUCED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS. SPECIFICALLY, THE SCIENTIFICATION OF ESED IS PERFORMED IN THE FIELD OF ECONOMIC SCIENCE. AS A RESULT, THE NECESSARY CONDITIONS OF ESED ARE DEFINED. THEN, THESE CONDITIONS ARE INVESTIGATED AGAINST THE SOLUTIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM WHICH ARE PROPOSED BY THE TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS. BESIDES, THE PROBLEM OF NATURAL RESOURCES (ENERGY, MATTER) SCARCITY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS INVESTIGATED IN THE LIGHT OF THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING TECHNOLOGY ETC. IN THE APPLICATION PART OF THE STUDY A METHODOLOGY WHICH LEAD TO THE QUANTIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL- ECONOMIC SYSTEMS ARE PROPOSED. THIS METHODOLOGY IS OF GREAT HELP IN CASES WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF SUFFICIENT STATISTICAL DATA. FINALLY, THIS METHODOLOGY APPLIES IN A CASE STUDY

Decisive Conditions for an Effective and Efficient Multi-modal Freight Transport Network in Europe: A Meta-Analytic Perspective

The paper addresses the issue of intermodality in European transport policy. Its aim is to derive critical factors for an effective and efficient multimodal freight transport network in Europe. The results of a survey among European transport experts are presented, while a new meta-analytic technique - roughset analysis - is deployed to infer testable conclusions.