Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Sustainable development SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE THIRD WORLD, by David Pearce, Edward Barbier and Anil Markandya
Politics, technology and social choice DIVIDED WE STAND: REDEFINING POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL CHOICE, by Michiel Schwarz and Michael Thompson
Coping with disaster CHALLENGES OF THE INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR NATURAL DISASTER REDUCTION (IDNDR)     

CO2 emissions reduction from the power system in India

The power system in India accounts for nearly one-third of CO₂ emissions of the country as a whole. A comparison of some of the technical options to reduce CO₂ emissions is presented in this paper. A linear programming framework is used to simulate the integrated optimal operation of the three regional grids, and it is shown that such operations lead to lower fuel costs and to lower CO₂ emissions. The same framework is used to see how a rise in thermal efficiency translates into a CO₂ emissions reduction. Reduced fuel requirements also lead to reductions in other pollutants ie SO₂, NO_x and fly ash. The reductions in CO₂ emissions and other pollutants are at far lower cost in the case of integrated optimal operations as compared to reductions due to gas fuelled generation or thermal efficiency improvements. However, thermal efficiency improvements under optimal integrated operations result in much higher reductions in operating costs, coal consumption and total emissions of all pollutants.     

World energy future: the demand side challenge

Non-OECD countries will account for the greatest share of growth in future energy demand. Policy-makers, in response to public concern that the continued use of fossil-fuels could bring about global climate change have sought out policies which will reduce future energy demand. However, economic instruments which can do so, such as carbon taxes, provoke significant distributional and equity issues. Most OECD governments have set CO₂ reduction targets, but few of those targets are backed up by effective legislation and programmes. Instead, most governments seem to count on increasing energy efficiency, seemingly 'spontaneously', to bring about CO₂ reductions. Realization of OECD CO₂ reduction targets would be insignificant on a global scale, but they are nevertheless very ambitious when compared to recent changes in the OECD's energy-derived CO₂ emissions. Reliance on market forces alone may therefore not be enough.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: PV products for the 21st century : SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PRODUCTS: A Guide for Development Workers by Anthony Derrick, Catherine Francis and Varis Bokalders Biomass resources : BIOMASS ASSESSMENT: Woody Biomass in the SADCC Region by A. Millington and J. Townshend Earthscan Publications, London, 270 PP The fuelwood crisis : BEYOND THE WOODFUEL CRISIS by Gerald Leach and Robin Mearns Earthscan Publications, London, 1988, 309 pp Oil and government policies : COMMON CARRIER OF COMMON SENSE by Paul Frankel Enjoying the windfall : OIL WINDFALLS: Blessing or Curse? by Alan Gelb and Associates Looking to the future : RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES FOR THE 21st CENTURY edited by R. Hill, P. O'Keefe and N. M. Pearsall Petroleum investment in developing countries : PETROLEUM INVESTMENT POLICIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES edited by Nicky Beredjick and Thomas Walde     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
The collapse of tin THE TIN MEN: A CHRONICLE OF CRISIS, by Ralph Kestenbaum
Economic Developement HANDBOOK OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, VOL I, edited by Hollis Chenery and T. N. Srinavasan
Future energy ENERGY FOR HABITABLE WORLD, A CALL FOR ACTION, edited by Pierre Elliott Trudeau
Uses and abuses of energy PROCEEDINGS OF CONFERENCE ON ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY, edited by J.W. Tester, D. O. Wood and N. A. Ferrari
People and mining HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY, Proceedings of the Twentieth CRS Policy Discussion Seminar, 26–28 March, 1990, Kingston, Ontario. edited by L. Moira Jackson
Paying for the environment DEBT AND THE ENVIRONMENT: CONVERGING CRISIS, by Morris Miller     

Energy and environmental issues in Vietnam

This paper discusses the pattern of commercial and traditional energy use in Vietnam and its evolution. It presents the trend of energy-related emissions of CO₂, SO₂ and NO_x during the past decade with a methodology given in an Appendix. Recent developments of environmental policies and institutions in Vietnam are also discussed.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Environmental management : SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: Principles and Practice edited by R. Kerry Turner
Development projects and the environment : ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS by John A. Dixon, Richard A. Carpenter, Louise A. Fallon, Paul B. Sherman and Supachit Manipomoke
Collecting the rent : PETROLEUM RENT COLLECTION AROUND THE WORLD by Alexander Kemp
Land-use planning : MINERAL RESOURCES EXTRACTION, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND LAND-USE PLANNING IN THE INDUSTRIAL AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES edited by Peter Arndt and Gerd W. Lüttig
Energy policy in Mexico : ENERGY POLICY IN MEXICO: Problems and Prospects for the Future edited by Miguel S. Wionczek, Oscar M. Guzman and Roberto Gutierrez
Mineral resource economics and theory : MINERAL RESOURCES: A System Analytical and Functional Approach by Laszlo Kapolyi
Natural resource problems NATURAL RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS: Cases in Applied Economics edited by George. M. Johnston, David Freshwater and Philip Favero     

Tradeable permits and the comprehensive approach to climate change

The need to constrain the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to a growing interest in efficient ways of achieving it. Many analysts have argued for the advantages of tradeable emission permits. Others have pointed to the importance of addressing all sources and sinks of greenhouse gases. However, this 'comprehensive approach' at present appears incompatible with the use of tradeable permits, because few sources and sinks can be monitored with the accuracy required for such a system. It is not enough to make rough approximations, because inadequate monitoring and revision of approximations could disrupt the whole system. The best approach is to start by developing an efficient control system for the major sources which can be adequately monitored - primarily fossil-fuel CO₂ - and by ensuring that other sources and sinks may be introduced over time. This can be achieved by starting with a system of overlapping permits which focuses upon the major quantifiable sources (notably fossil CO₂), and introduces revisions as permits are retired and reissued.     

Book reviews

State of the world : STATE OF THE WORLD 1992 by Lester Brown, Project Director W. W. Norton & Company, New York
A cookbook for developing countries: IMPROVING CHARCOALING EFFICIENCY IN THE TRADITIONAL RURAL SECTOR: Charles Feinstein and Robert van der Plas World Bank, Industry and Energy Department
KEROSENE STOVES: THEIR PERFORMANCE, USE, AND CONSTRAINTS by Villem Floor and Robert van der Plas World Bank, Industry and Energy Department
ASSESSMENT OF BIOMASS ENERGY RESOURCES: A DISCUSSION ON ITS NEED AND METHODOLOGY by Paul Ryan and Keith Openshaw World Bank, Industry and Energy Department
Development economics : HANDBOOK OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, VOL II Edited by Hollis Chenery and T.N. Srinavasan North Holland, New York
Environmental remote sensing : REMOTE SENSING FOR HAZARD MONITORING AND DISASTER ASSESSMENT: MARINE AND COASTAL APPLICATIONS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION edited by E.C. Barrett, R. Brown and A. Micallef Gordon and Breach, Science Publisher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Mexico's oil industry : THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MEXICAN OIL by Laura Randall
Environmental impact of water resources development : DAM THE RIVERS, DAMN THE PEOPLE: DEVELOPMENT AND RESISTANCE IN AMAZONIAN BRAZIL by Barbara J. Cummings
Managing the global environment : LESSONS LEARNED IN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE by Peter H. Sand
Oil makes the world go round : THE PRIZE: THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY AND POWER by Daniel Yergin
Using natural gas : NATURAL GAS: ITS ROLE AND POTENTIAL IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT edited by Walter Vergara, Nelson E. Hay, Carl W. Hall
Environmental management MANAGING THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS Daniel H. Henning ad William R. Mangun
Natural resource scarcity : ECONOMICS, NATURAL RESOURCE SCARCITY AND DEVELOPMENT by Edward B. Barbier
Solar investment : ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY SYSTEMS edited by Ronald E. West and Frank Kreith
World mineral exploration : WORLD MINERAL EXPLORATION: TRENDS AND ECONOMIC ISSUES edited by John E. Tilton, Roderick G. Eggert and Hans H. Landsberg     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Rainforests for the future: NO TIMBER WITHOUT TREES: Sustainability in the Tropical Forest by Duncan Poore, Peter Burgess, John Palmer, Simon Rietbergen and Timothy Sinott
Determining the cut-off grade : THE ECONOMIC DEFINITION OF ORE: Cut-off Grades in Theory and Practice by Kenneth F. Lane
The nex decade for mining : PROSPECTS FOR MINERALS IN THE 90s edited by Peter R. Richardson and Renka Gesing
Accounting for the future : WASTING ASSETS: Natural Resources in the National Income Accounts by Robert Repetto, William Magrath, Michael Wells, Christine Beer and Fabrizio Rossini
Missed opportunities : THE PURPOSE OF FORESTS: Follies of Development by Jack Westoby     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Budgeting for the environment : ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT edited by Gunther Schramm and Jeremy Warford
Natural resource laws in Commonwealth Africa : A STUDY ON THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK, AGREEMENTS AND FINANCIAL IMPOSITIONS AFFECTING MINING AND PETROLEUM INDUSTRIES IN COMMONWEALTH AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Spatial energy analysis : SPATIAL ENERGY ANALYSIS: MODELS FOR STRATEGIC DECISIONS IN AN URBAN AND REGIONAL CONTEXT edited by L. Lundqvist, L-G. Mattsson and E. A. Eriksson
Petroleum development in Brazil and Peru : BRAZIL AND PERU: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT by Norman Gall and Eleodoro Mayorga Alba     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
State of the World : STATE OF THE WORLD 1993 by Lester Brown
Energy for the developing world : FUELING DEVELOPMENT: ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES John Gibbons
Caring for rainforests : TROPICAL RAINFORESTS by Chris C. Park
Renewable energy : COOL ENERGY: RENEWABLE SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS by Michael Brower
Environmental degradation and disaster : DISASTERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: MANAGING NATURAL DISASTERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT edited by Alcira Kreimer and Mohan Munasinghe
Mining investment and compensation : MINERAL TAXATION AND INVESTMENT     

MULTITEMPORAL SCALE HYDROGRAPH PREDICTION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS1

Abstract: An artificial neural network (ANN) provides a mathematically flexible structure to identify complex nonlinear relationship between inputs and outputs. A multilayer perceptron ANN technique with an error back propagation algorithm was applied to a multitime-scale prediction of the stage of a hydro-logically closed lake, Devils Lake (DL), and discharge of the Red River of the North at Grand Forks station (RR-GF) in North Dakota. The modeling exercise used 1 year (2002), 5 years (1998–2002), and 27 years (1975–2002) of data for the daily, weekly, and monthly predictions, respectively. The hydrometeorological data (precipitations P_(t), P_(t-1), P_(t-2), P_(t-3), antecedent runoff/lake stage R_(t-1) and air temperature T_(t) were partitioned for training and for testing to predict the current hydro-graph at the selected DL and RR-GF stations. Performance of ANN was evaluated using three combinations of daily datasets (Input I = P_(t)), P_(t-l), P_(t-2), P_(t-3), T_(t) and R_(t-l); Input II = Input-l less P_(t) P_(t-l), P_(t-2), P_(t-3); and Input III = Input-II less T_(t)). Comparison of the model output using Input I data with the observed values showed average testing prediction efficiency (E) of 86 percent for DL basin and 46 percent for RR-GF basin, and higher efficiency for the daily than monthly simulations.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Structuring the energy market THE MARKET FOR ENERGY, edited by Dieter Helm, John Kay and David Thompson
Good water quality AGRICULTURE AND WATER QUALITY: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES edited by John B. Braden and Stephen B. Lovejoy
Environmental and resource economics ECONOMICS OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT, edited by David W. Pearce, and R. Kerry Turner     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Moving Africa forward in the 1990s : SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: FROM CRISIS TO SUSTAINABLE GROWTH, A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE STUDY by Ramgopal Agarwala, Pierre Landell-Mills, Stanley Please AFRICA'S COMMODITY PROBLEMS: TOWARDS A SOLUTION : by Malcom Fraser, Chairman The future for oil : WORLD OIL PRICES: DEMAND, SUPPLY AND SUBSTITUTES by Yousuf H. Mohammad, Walter J. Mead The world oil industry : ENERGY WATCHERS I: SHADOW OPEC: NEW ELEMENT FOR STABILITY? AND A ‘REINTEGRATED’ OIL INDUSTRY edited by Dorothea H. El Mallakh     

The global greenhouse effect

The global warming caused by emissions of CO₂ and trace gases is expected to cause shifts in climatic zones and rainfall patterns, and possibly thermal expansion of oceans. There are likely to be impacts on global agriculture and the food security of low-income countries, as well as disruptions to major ecosystem complexes such as forests. Rising sea levels will threaten low-lying regions, coastal zones and islands. Policy-makers will therefore have to consider the relative costs and benefits of 'doing nothing', preventive measures and adaptive responses. Economics should play a key and innovative role in this analysis.     

Reviews

TECHNIQUES OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE A. E. Weddle (ed.) for the Institute of Landscape Architects. Published by Heinemann, London. Price 90s.

MAN AND ENVIRONMENT by Robert Arvill Pelican. Price 8/6d.

TEMA MANHEAN—A STUDY OF SETTLEMENT by G. W. Amarteifo, D. A. P. Butcher and David Whitham Published by Ghana Universities Press. 1966. Price 50/‐

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, quarterly UNESCO, Paris. Price 10/‐ each issue

TOWARDS A NEW RELATIONSHIP OF MAN AND NATURE IN TEMPERATE LANDS—PART II Proceedings and papers of the tenth technical meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Published by I.U.C.N. 1066. Price $3.50

THE TOWN HALL AND THE PROPERTY OWNER by David Wooley Published by Methuen & Co. Ltd. 1967. Price 25/‐

INDUSTRIAL LOCATION AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY; A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY. Occasional Paper No. 2. Price 9/‐by P. M. Townroe

RECREATION RESEARCH METHODS; A REVIEW OF RECENT STUDIES Occasional Paper No. 3 University of Birmingham Centre for Urban and Regional Studies. £1 10 od by Thomas L. Burton, and P. A. Noad

PLANNING FOR PLAY by Lady Allen of Hurtwood Thames and Hudson Ltd. £2 2 od     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Irrigation water management : SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES IN THIRD WORLD IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT edited by R. K. Sampath and Robert A. Young
Oil shale resources OIL SHALES OF THE WORLD-THEIR ORIGIN, OCCURRENCE AND EXPLOITATION by Paul L. Russel
Water pollution in Asia : WATER POLLUTION CONTROL IN ASIA. PROCEEDINGS OF SECOND IAWPRC ASIAN CONFERENCE HELD IN BANGKOK, THAILAND, 9–11 NOVEMBER 1988 edited by T. Panswad, C. Polprasert, K. Yamamoto
Women and development : WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT: A PROGRESS REPORT ON THE WORLD BANK INITIATIVE
A future for the Earth : SUSTAINING THE EARTH by John Young
The environment: yesterday, today and tomorrow : THE HUMAN IMPACT ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT by Andrew Goudie     

Control strategies for vehicular NOx emissions in Guangzhou, China

Guangzhou is a city in southern China that has experienced very rapid economic development in recent years. The city's air has very high concentrations of various pollutants, including sulphur dioxide (SO₂), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), ozone (O₃) and particulate. This paper reviews the changes in air quality in the city over the past 15 years, and notes that a serious vehicular-related emissions problem has been superimposed on the traditional coal-burning problem evident in most Chinese cities. As NOx concentrations have increased, oxidants and photochemical smog now interact with the traditional SO₂ and particulate pollutants, leading to increased health risks and other environmental concerns.
Any responsible NOx control strategy for the city must include vehicle emission control measures. This paper reviews control strategies designed to abate vehicle emissions to fulfill the city's air quality improvement target in 2010. A cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that, while NOx emission control is expensive, vehicular emission standards could achieve a relatively sizable emissions reduction at reasonable cost. To achieve the 2010 air quality target of NOx, advanced implementation of EURO3 standards is recommended, substituting for the EURO2 currently envisioned in the national regulations. Related technical options, including fuel quality improvements and inspection/maintenance (I/M) upgrades (ASM or IM240), are assessed as well.