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This analysis examines the relationship between nonrenewable resource dependence, economic growth and income inequality. It uses a two-equation system in which the Gini index and GDP per capita are the dependent variables and the stock of nonrenewable resources as a share of national wealth-i.e. resource dependence-is the independent variable. Using a dataset that includes information on 43 countries from 1980 to 2012, this paper estimates several model specifications in order to check the robustness of the results under different assumptions and to account for income-group-related heterogeneity among countries. The baseline model provides strong evidence that natural resource dependence is negatively correlated with both per capita GDP and the Gini index; in other words, resource dependence is associated with lower income levels, but also with a more equal distribution of income. Interestingly, however, after controlling for country income group, the sign and magnitude of these relationships appear to become dependent on national-level structural characteristics. Among higher-income countries, greater nonrenewable natural resource dependence is associated with lower income inequality, while there is no statistically significant correlation with GDP per capita. Among the lower-income group, greater dependence on nonrenewable natural resources is associated with both higher levels of income inequality and lower per capita GDP. Further analysis focusing on a subsample of non-renewable resource rich countries confirms these findings.

Economic Growth --- Environment --- Income Inequality --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Natural Capital --- Rural Development

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The concept of "Green Growth" is a focus of much interest and considerable debate among decision makers concerned with enhancing both nearer-term economic progress and longer-term environmental sustainability. Proponents of Green Growth emphasize not only the need to protect various forms of natural capital to sustain improvements in material living standards and poverty reduction, but also the potential for strategically crafted environmental policies to achieve sustainability at low cost, perhaps even to help stimulate growth. However, there has been so far relatively little exploration of the analytical underpinnings of Green Growth, or its ambiguities. An exploratory investigation of the goals and underlying assumptions embedded in various conceptions of Green Growth facilitates consideration of how they might be interpreted vis-a-vis standard principles of intertemporal economic efficiency, including the value of the environment. Several plausible potential channels are identified for how synergy between economic growth and environmental sustainability might be more extensive than implied by standard economic theory. However, it is not possible to address their practical significance without more empirical research than is currently available. Consequently, some claims of substantial win-win opportunities between growth and the environment may be premature.

Climate Change Economics --- Economic Theory & Research --- Energy --- Environment --- Environment and development --- Environmental Economics & Policies --- Growth and environment --- Labor Policies --- Natural capital --- Political Economy --- Sustainable development

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Much of the rural poor-who are growing in number-are concentrated in ecologically fragile and remote areas. The key ecological scarcity problem facing such poor households is a vicious cycle of declining livelihoods, increased ecological degradation and loss of resource commons, and declining ecosystem services on which the poor depend. In addition, developing economies with high concentrations of their populations on fragile lands and in remote areas not only display high rates of rural poverty, but also are some of the poorest countries in the world today. Policies to eradicate poverty therefore need to be targeted at the poor where they live, especially the rural poor clustered in fragile environments and remote areas. The specific elements of such a strategy include involving the poor in payment for ecosystem services schemes and other measures that enhance the environments on which the poor depend; targeting investments directly to improving the livelihoods of the rural poor, thus reducing their dependence on exploiting environmental resources; tackling the lack of access of the rural poor in less favored areas to well-functioning and affordable markets for credit, insurance, and land; and reducing the high transportation and transaction costs that prohibit the poorest households in remote areas from engaging in off-farm employment and limit smallholder participation in national and global markets.

Banks & Banking Reform --- Developing countries --- Ecological scarcity --- Energy --- Environment --- Environmental Economics & Policies --- Green growth --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Natural capital --- Poverty-environment trap --- Regional Economic Development --- Rural poverty --- Rural Poverty Reduction --- Spatial poverty trap

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This master’s thesis intends to contribute to the renewal of the assessment framework of the agriculture in order to face the sustainability issue. The rationale of the chosen assessment framework consists in identifying the critical natural capital through the exploration of the links that exist between agriculture and human well-being using the ecosystem services concept and the fundamental human needs concept in a participative manner.
Practically, this work is based on the implementation of this assessment framework to the study of a farm sustainability that is located in the Condroz (Wallonia, Belgium). Fourteen semi-structured interviews have been driven with local people and with two individuals symbolizing the need for intragenerational and intergenerational equity. The three main objectives were to list the ecosystem services provided by the farm, to determine their contribution to human well-being and to identify the ecosystem services that constitute the critical natural capital of the farm.
The results illustrate the potential of the studied farm to provide numerous ecosystem services as well as the potential of those ecosystem services to be mobilized in order to contribute to human well-being in mutliple manners. The relevance of the conceptual framework to appreciate the multidimensionality of the agriculture and of the human well-being is confirmed. However, the mobilization of the critical natural capital concept did not enable us to identify the critical ecosystem services in a conclusive manner.
The method having proven its interest as a discursive tool, it is suggested to develop forward the operationalization of the critical natural capital concept by modifiying its application scale and by developing its appropriability. Then, in order to be truly participative, it is necessary to implement the method at a collective level. Finally, the results show the necessity to envision both satisfaction and dissatsifaction of fundamental human needs. Additional tools taken from the capability approach and from the fundamental human needs approach seems promising. Ce travail se propose de participer au renouvellement du cadre d’évaluation de l’agriculture afin de tenir compte de l’exigence de soutenabilité. La logique du cadre d’évaluation adopté consiste à identifier le capital naturel critique en investiguant les liens entre agriculture et bien-être humain à travers la mobilisation des concepts de services écosystémiques et de besoins humains fondamentaux dans une optique participative.
Concrètement, ce travail repose sur l’application de ce cadre d’évaluation à l’étude de la soutenabilité d’une ferme condrusienne (Wallonie, Belgique). Quatorze entretiens semi-directifs ont été menés à une échelle locale et avec deux personnes symbolisant le nécessité d’être attentif à l’équité intragénérationnelle et intergénérationnelle. Les trois principaux objectifs de ces entretiens étaient de lister les services écosystémiques générés par cette ferme, de déterminer leur contribution au bien-être humain et d’identifier les services écosystémiques constitutifs du capital naturel critique de la ferme.
Les résultats illustrent le potentiel de la ferme étudiée à générer de nombreux services écosystémiques en même temps que la capacité de chacun de ces services à contribuer de manière multiple au bien-être humain. L’intérêt du cadre conceptuel mobilisé pour appréhender la multidimensionnalité de l’agriculture et du bien-être humain est confirmé. Par contre, le mobilisation du concept de capital natural critique n’a pas permis d’identifier les services écosystémiques critiques de manière concluante.
La méthode a témoigné de son intérêt en tant qu’outil discursif. En conséquence, il est suggéré de développer plus en avant l’opérationnalisation du concept de capital naturel critique en modifiant son échelle d’application et en développant son appropriabilité. Ensuite, afin d’être réellement participative, la méthode devrait être adaptée à l’échelle collective. Enfin, les résultats témoignent de la nécessité pour la méthode élaborée d’envisager autant la satisfaction que l’insatisfaction des besoins humains fondamentaux. De nouveaux outils empruntés à l’approche par les capabilités et à l’approche des besoins humains fondamentaux semblent prometteurs.

Agriculture --- Sustainability assessment --- Critical natural capital --- Ecosystem services --- Fundamental human needs --- Évaluation de la soutenabilité --- Capital naturel critique --- Services écosystémiques --- Besoins humains fondamentaux --- Sciences du vivant > Agriculture & agronomie --- Sciences économiques & de gestion > Multidisciplinaire, généralités & autres

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Public understanding of, and outcry over, the dire state of the climate and environment is greater than ever before. Parties across the political spectrum claim to be climate leaders, and overt denial is on the way out. Yet when it comes to slowing the course of the climate and nature crises, despite a growing number of pledges, policies and summits, little ever seems to change. Nature is being destroyed at an unprecedented rate. We remain on course for a catastrophic 3°C of warming. What's holding us back? In this searing and insightful critique, Adrienne Buller examines the fatal biases that have shaped the response of our governing institutions to climate and environmental breakdown, and asks: are the 'solutions' being proposed really solutions? Tracing the intricate connections between financial power, economic injustice and ecological crisis, she exposes the myopic economism and market-centric thinking presently undermining a future where all life can flourish. The book examines what is wrong with mainstream climate and environmental governance, from carbon pricing and offset markets to 'green growth', the commodification of nature and the growing influence of the finance industry on environmental policy. In doing so, it exposes the self-defeating logic of a response to these challenges based on creating new opportunities for profit, and a refusal to grapple with the inequalities and injustices that have created them. Both honest and optimistic, The Value of a Whale asks us - in the face of crisis - what we really value. --

Capitalism --- Environmental economics. --- Environmental policy --- Environmental aspects. --- Economic aspects. --- Économie de l'environnement. --- Environnement --- Marchandisation. --- Politique gouvernementale --- Aspect économique. --- BlackRock. --- ESG. --- Elinor Ostrom. --- Green New Deal. --- Sustainable cities and communities. --- biodiversity. --- climate crisis. --- climate justice. --- ecological crisis. --- environmental action. --- environmental justice. --- financialisation. --- global warming. --- green financial services. --- natural capital. --- offsetting. --- sustainable finance.