Ecological Economics最新文献

Crop diversification, or growing multiple crops in farmland, has received attention as a risk-reducing strategy for smallholders. This study attempts to show that poor and non-poor farmers adopt different strategies of crop diversification. We first conceptualize farmers’ heterogeneous motivations for crop diversification by introducing a subsistence constraint into a utility maximization problem under uncertainty. Using the Tanzanian National Panel Survey, we then examine whether past experiences of shocks affect the adoption of crop diversification differently between poor and non-poor farmers. We rely on a threshold model to estimate heterogeneous impacts between poor and non-poor farmers. We find that poor farmers adopt crop diversification for robust food securities in response to drought/flood and large increases in food prices for purchase. In contrast, non-poor farmers adopt crop diversification to stabilize market income in response to large increases in input prices and large declines in crop prices for sale.

In recent years, a small but rapidly growing field of modeling alternatives to growth as represented by the de- (DG) and post-growth (PG) discourses has emerged. We compare selected model characteristics of 75 DG and PG related modeling studies, compiled through a systematic literature review (2000−2023), and link model structures and results to different theoretically contested debates surrounding DG/PG. The reviewed studies cover different geographical and temporal scopes, economic theories, modeling techniques and operationalizations of DG/PG. The majority of studies models DG/PG as intentional transition and does not question its compatibility with a capitalist system, while more radical strands of the DG/PG discourse are excluded. Although DG/PG modeling exercises frequently explore the effects of sustainability policies, they represent only a fraction of theoretical DG policy proposals, with the most frequent being: working time reduction, maximum income caps, carbon taxes and a universal basic income. DG/PG modeling studies have demonstrated the importance of integrating biophysical constraints in economic modeling but also have quantitatively assessed the feasibility of environmental integrity and social well-being without growth. Nonetheless, future modeling could be rendered more realistic by paying more attention to the Global South, introducing heterogeneous agents driving sustainability transitions and including multiple planetary boundaries.

The European Union (EU) relies on imported raw materials to manufacture renewable energy, digital, mobility, aerospace, and defence technologies. A circular economy can mitigate this critical dependency, for example by recycling materials or remanufacturing products locally. These resource efficiency strategies, however, require new supply chain configurations supported by research and innovation. While this is taking place in few selected supply chains, notably lithium-ion battery technology, little is known about circularity for most critical raw materials and their applications. Information is scattered across industry players and disciplinary competences, or not publicly available due to confidentiality concerns. This article presents a case study on titanium metal circularity in the aviation and defence sectors. The results inform three industrial policy recommendations to mitigate the risk of supply disruption in the EU, aggravated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Based on the case study, a methodological framework is proposed to guide future research on circularity for resource security. This subject requires urgent attention to achieve EU strategic autonomy objectives, against the background of climate change, resource depletion and waste management challenges in a complex geopolitical landscape.

Climate challenge can be modelled as a multiplayer prisoner’s dilemma where ecological action – e.g., purchasing an electric car or adopting sustainable life-styles – is costly in terms of economic resources, time, and effort. The prisoner’s dilemma structure of the game implies that, even though the social benefit is maximized – and every player would be better off – with everyone taking ecological actions, the strategy profile with no player taking action is a Nash equilibrium, assuming players have purely self-regarding preferences. In this paper we analyse how this ecological dilemma is affected by people’s perceptions. Using the European Social Survey, we study how urgent the climate threat is perceived by respondents and their beliefs about other countries’ actions. Theoretical predictions suggest that the former increases, while the latter does not affect individual willingness to act ecologically when introducing heterogeneity about the effect of worry on intrinsic motivations. Our empirical findings however show that both factors positively affect willingness to act. We interpret the positive effect by arguing that intrinsic motivations are also affected by other people action and show that the effect is weaker as social capital increases.

This paper aims to explore opportunities for integrating Behavioral Economics (BE) into Ecological Economics (EE). By examining the frames of analysis for both disciplines, this study categorizes BE as operating at the individual level (i-frame), while EE addresses systemic aspects of society (s-frame) and extends its considerations to the biosphere (n-frame), advocating for collective action through bottom-up intermediate-level interventions (c-frame).

The study posits that EE can benefit from BE’s rich insights into human behavior and decision-making, especially for c-frame action strategies. However, integrating these disciplines requires finding common ontological and epistemological ground to avoid eclecticism and methodological flaws. The integration is approached in two steps: first, adapting BE epistemology to the systems thinking approach of EE, and second, addressing the ontological gap in BE regarding the world surrounding the individual. This paper argues that embedding BE within EE’s ontology points to the necessity of c-frame thinking for human decision-making.

A case study of the ex-GKN factory in Italy demonstrates the practical benefits of c-frame thinking in a complex decision process. An alliance of workers, researchers, and civil society movements collaboratively developed a future plan that considered the needs of all stakeholders, showcasing the effectiveness of collective action.

Managing pathogens is a challenge in biological production processes. To manage private risks and reduce externalities, biological controls leverage the technology of natural ecosystems and are often considered environmentally friendly alternatives to chemical controls. In salmon farming, parasitic sea lice reduce own-firm profitability by stressing fish and slowing growth and generate externalities by spreading to neighboring farms and threatening wild fish populations. Cleaner fish are a form of biological control based on ecological interaction that can be used instead of chemical control of sea lice, but little is known about their efficacy and value in commercial use. We estimate efficacy of cleaner fish using facility-level data. To identify exogenous variation in cleaner fish usage, we instrument site-level cleaner fish stocks using distance to cleaner fish farm with a commercial license. Cleaner fish use significantly reduces likelihood of sea lice levels exceeding regulatory threshold levels. Combining efficacy estimates with cost data and a structural model, we provide estimates of cost-effectiveness. Our results show that cleaner fish are privately cost-effective, which is consistent with high levels of adoption. However, cost-effectiveness also suggests that policy could encourage even more adoption of biological controls to reduce externalities.

Climate change has sparked a vivid discussion on its socio-economic risks, capturing the attention of academic circles and policymakers. While it is widely argued that a low-carbon transition should be socially just, the precise criteria that policies must adhere to, in order to be universally accepted as ‘just’, remain insufficiently defined. To fill this gap, we draw on relevant theories of distributive justice where equal responsibility should lead to equal outcomes. According to our definition, just transition policies should minimise relative costs for the most vulnerable groups. Furthermore, uneven responsibility for causing damages should be also taken into account by discounting the importance of relative costs of groups with high responsibility.

Vulnerability to agrometeorological disasters threatens agricultural production and food security, which calls for urgent risk mitigation measures. Previous studies have widely focused on constructing composite indices of agricultural vulnerability and projecting agricultural losses under changing climate. Only a few authors have delved into the patterns of mitigation practices in reducing agricultural vulnerability and enhancing the functioning of agricultural systems. To fill this research gap, our study assesses the spatial-temporal characteristics of agricultural vulnerability with respect to meteorological disasters (including droughts, floods, hail, low temperatures, and frost) from 2000 to 2021 across 31 regions (including 22 provinces, 4 direct-administered municipalities, and 5 autonomous regions) in China. Identifying a dynamic trend of agricultural vulnerability and making use of a regime-switching framework, a Markov regime-switching model is employed to examine the changing regimes underlying the link between agricultural vulnerability and crop yields. More importantly, regime-switching roles of four different mitigation practices (i.e., irrigation, reservoir capacity, soil loss control, and drainage systems) in moderating agricultural vulnerability are evaluated using panel threshold regressions. Our results show that: 1) The link between agricultural vulnerability and crop yields differs across regions, and regime-switching phenomena behind this link can be detected. 2) Irrigation systems, water reservoirs, and soil loss control can be effective tools for mitigating agricultural vulnerability. 3) With the above three measures, detrimental impacts of agricultural vulnerability on agricultural production can be reduced significantly when certain thresholds are hit. 4) Non-linear relationships between mitigation measures and crop yields require authorities to pay considerable attention to determining the effective scales of mitigation measures. Overall, this paper shall contribute to understanding the moderating role of risk mitigation measures in alleviating agricultural vulnerability and increasing crop yields, thereby providing insights into designing strategies and policies for sustainable agricultural production.

The world's dependence on managed pollinators is growing due to decreasing native bee populations, coupled with increased production of crops requiring pollination services. Growers of pollinated crops may have opportunities to enhance pollination contracts to attract beekeepers and promote bee health. Growers must assess these benefits relative to implementation costs, yet little information exists. We investigate the value of contract enhancements to commercial beekeepers participating in California almond pollination services, a pollination event that demands roughly 89% of US honey bee colonies and makes up over half of US beekeeper annual revenues. We find beekeepers value clauses that ensure additional pesticide protection, advance payment, and certain cover crops. We illustrate market-based mechanisms for incentivizing agricultural practices that can improve native and managed pollinator health, while also alleviating growers' concerns about pollination deficits.

Innovative information technology such as a Carbon Footprint Tracking App can contribute to achieve global climate targets like the 2 °C target of the Paris Agreement. This is particularly relevant for countries with strong socio-economic development, which often have high individual carbon footprints but also possess the technological advancements to help mitigate these emissions. This paper explores how carbon footprint feedback and goal-oriented appeals affect consumers' carbon emissions. Focusing on interventions in the food and mobility domains, this research distinguishes the impact of self-related and society-related goals across these focal domains and examines spillover effects on heating and other household activities. Using a Carbon Footprint Tracking App in a longitudinal experimental study with 210 participants over three waves, the following key findings emerge. First, goal activation affects carbon emissions differently across consumption domains. Second, while the obtained evidence points to spillover across domains, the appeals' effectiveness within the same domain is contingent on individual goal prioritization. In particular, behavioral interventions need to target specific goals within each domain, particularly normative and moral goals in the food domain, and hedonic and cost-related goals in the mobility domain.