中国绿色经济发展和机制政策创新研究

通过绿色转型创造新的发展和就业机会对于摆脱经济危机、提升国家竞争力并占据全球制高点和领先地位已经成为全球共识。中国的绿色经济发展将对其未来经济繁荣乃至全球经济发展产生深远影响。转变经济发展方式,实现绿色发展,这不仅是中华民族长远发展的战略性选择和必然需要,也是对全球可持续发展的积极贡献,将对人类发展产生的重要影响。中国正逐步走向绿色发展之路,建设资源节约型社会和环境友好型社会,发展循环经济和低碳经济已经为中国的绿色发展奠定了较为坚实的基础。但是在全球化大背景下,中国正面临各种规模庞大、情况复杂的经济发展、社会转变与环境保护的挑战与机遇,尤其是在宏观层面,绿色发展的体制机制保障尚不健全,制约了中国绿色转型的成效。如何通过恰当的制度创新,进一步推进转型成本效率的提高和体制机制与政策法规质量的改善,加快并深化中国的绿色转型是目前面临的主要问题。本文针对上述问题,系统归纳总结了国际上发展绿色经济的普遍经验以及中国发展绿色经济面临的主要问题和挑战,认为发展绿色经济目前并没有一种通用的模式,解决中国发展绿色经济发展过程中所面临的资源环境制约,必须调整现行以GDP为导向的政府和官员绩效考核体系,平衡目前财政分权体系中财权和事权不对应问题,进一步明确政府和市场的作用及各自起作用的领域,同时,综合应用法律、财政、税收和价格等工具,重视不同手段的综合和协同运用,在不同的发展领域,提出具有适应性和包容性的发展策略,具体来说:①实施"差异化"区域绿色发展战略,针对不同的经济发展和资源环境基础,提出不同的发展重点,同时,建立分区域的绿色发展监测和评估体系;②通过技术进步和管理创新发展绿色农业,以保障农产品安全、生态安全和资源安全为重点,推动农业发展政策、农业生产组织、农业技术服务和农业管理体系的转型;③以资源节约和环境友好为基本原则,实施绿色创新战略,引导和推动工业结构的优化升级;④创建绿色服务业体系;⑤推行绿色消费模式,以绿色消费倒逼绿色经济转型。     

全球绿色低碳发展与公平的国际制度建设

在可持续发展和扶贫框架下发展绿色经济与国际可持续发展制度建设及改革是当前世界可持续发展的核心和关键,也是"里约+20"峰会的两个主题。首先,绿色经济是体现经济社会与资源环境相协调和可持续发展的根本途径。绿色经济的核心是以低的自然资源消费、低排放、低污染,达到高的自然资源利用效益,实现高的经济社会发展水平,提供高的生活水平和优良的生活环境。全球绿色经济的发展潮流,将引发社会形态由"工业文明"向"生态文明"转变。虽然经济发展和消除贫困是发展中国家当前首要和压倒一切的优先任务,但也必须探索新型的绿色低碳工业化和现代化道路,在实现工业文明的过程中,努力建设生态文明,实现跨越式发展。同时积极应对全球绿色低碳转型中新的经济、贸易、技术竞争规则和格局的变动,加强先进技术创新,提升自身的低碳竞争力。其次,公平获取可持续发展的理念,应成为国际可持续发展制度建设和改革的基本原则。可持续发展要求既要促进经济社会发展与资源环境相协调,促进"代际公平",又要关注欠发达地区消除贫困,提高生活质量,改善生态环境,实现"国别公平"、"人际公平"。因此,国际可持续发展制度框架的建设和改革,要体现世界各国公平获取可持续发展的理念和原则,全面均衡地反映不同国情和发展阶段国家的利益诉求。主要表现在公平享有全球环境空间、公平获得现代优质能源服务、公平适应全球环境变化、公平承担责任义务及公平的国际制度和机制。中国需要统筹国内外两个大局,走中国特色的绿色低碳发展之路。最后,中国的国情和发展阶段特征,在可持续发展领域又面临比发达国家更多的困难和更严峻的挑战。在全球发展绿色经济,努力实现可持续发展的大背景下,中国要统筹国际国内两个大局,协调推进。在国际上积极参与国际制度的建设和改革,在促进全球经济发展,社会进步和环境保护等方面发挥积极的建设性的作用。在国内加强可持续发展战略的实施,走绿色、低碳和可持续发展的路径。主要战略对策包括加速转变发展方式,强化节能优先,控制能源消费总量和CO2排放总量的过快增长;加强能源结构的低碳化,逐步建立并形成以新能源和可再生能源为主体的可持续能源体系;加强城乡统筹,地区平衡,促进生态城市建设;适应国际可持续发展制度改革的趋势,加强绿色低碳和可持续发展的制度建设;抓住机遇,顺应世界绿色低碳发展潮流,自主实现发展方式的转变,把传统的资源依赖型、粗放扩张的发展方式转变到新型的技术创新型、内涵提高的发展方式上来,基本走上绿色低碳和可持续发展的轨道。     

中国绿色经济战略研究

以联合国"里约+20"会议为背景,在梳理世界主要国家绿色经济发展进程、绿色经济理论研究和实践探索,分析当前绿色经济发展现状和政策的基础上,探讨了我国绿色经济发展战略框架问题。认为:政府层面要加强对绿色产业发展引导、努力完善激励约束政策,保障绿色经济的稳健发展,重视绿色科技人才队伍建设,增强绿色产业自主创新能力。目前要解决的问题,一是通过建立排污权交易市场,实现环境价值的货币化;二是建立健全与绿色经济核算相关的法规制度;三是实施绿色GDP考核制度,从根本上改变经济增长方式。企业层面要重视绿色科技人才队伍建设,增强绿色产业自主创新能力,实现绿色产业的发展与调整。行业层面要着重节能建筑、可再生能源、可持续交通、可持续农业和生态基础设施建设等。消费者层面要加强绿色理念宣传,积极倡导绿色消费。从国际贸易的角度,应积极争取发达国家提供技术支持和技术培训,以帮助环保商品和服务行业的发展。     

绿色经济新理念及中国开展绿色经济研究的思考

联合国里约20周年世界峰会的重要内容之一是倡导绿色经济。绿色经济的概念最早在1989年由英国环境经济学家Pearce提出,但现在的绿色经济却具有全新的意义。本文基于参加联合国有关绿色新政和绿色经济的政策咨询和研究报告,论述了绿色经济的基本背景、三重效益、研究模型以及绿色经济与生活质量的关系,对如何开展中国绿色经济研究进行探讨。首先,文章认为在深入探讨绿色经济前,需要了解当前发展绿色经济的基本背景,明确为什么要发展绿色经济、什么才是我们所需要的绿色经济,以及怎样促进绿色经济发展三个基本问题。其二,绿色经济与褐色经济的情景模拟表明,绿色经济发展模式具有更好的三重底线效益。联合国的T-21模型对过去40年(1970-2010)及未来40年(2010-2050)进行了绿色情景与褐色情景两种模拟,认为在自然资本的环境收益方面,绿色经济发展情景下自然资本的退化得到了基本遏制,而褐色经济发展情景下自然资本的退化会进一步增强;在物质资本的经济收益方面,绿色经济发展情景下,2020年以前经济增长率(2.5%)会低于褐色经济(3%),但从长期平均增长率看绿色经济发展模式(2.5%)可以带来比褐色经济发展模式(2%)更好的经济增长;在人力资本的社会效益方面,在2030年以前绿色经济发展情景下就业机会有小幅减少,但长期来看,绿色经济能够创造与褐色经济同样多的就业机会,甚至可以有小幅的增加(0.6%)。其三,绿色经济研究模型表明,绿色经济投资于自然资本可以实现所需要的经济社会发展与自然资本消耗的脱钩。绿色经济假说是:将资金投资于提高资源能源效率与扩大自然资本两个方面,是否能够导致更好的经济社会发展。基于该理论假设,联合国等国际组织将自然资本引入生产函数,建立了Threshold-21模型,证明绿色经济即投资于自然资本可以实现所需要的经济社会发展与自然资本消耗的脱钩。其四,绿色经济发展模式不仅有利于经济增长,同时能够增加生活质量。绿色经济假说,强调了绿色投资对生活质量有正的影响。通过生态绩效模型、结构方程模型以及典型案例研究等三种方法进行分析,研究表明:减少自然资本消耗可以减少生态环境的治理成本和维护成本、维持与增加自然资本对人类的功能;可以提高自然资本的生产效率,用较少的自然资本投入达到社会稳定所需要的人造资本;可以提高人造资本的服务效率,用一定的物质存量为更多的人服务。其五,开展深化中国绿色经济理论与绿色发展模式的系统研究。联合国等国际组织倡导的绿色经济可以给我们发展中国的绿色经济带来新的启示,笔者认为对中国绿色经济理论与绿色发展模式开展深入和系统的研究,应该包括理论内涵、实证分析、发展情景、行动领域、政策体系等五个依次递进、前后照应的研究模块。     

中国对外直接投资影响母国环境的理论机理与实证研究

经济全球化背景下,中国工业化进程深度融入全球价值链分工体系,在以资源能源消耗与要素投入增加为特征的粗放型经济增长模式下,国际贸易与国际投资在带动中国经济迅速发展的同时,也不可避免地影响国内的资源环境形势。基于此,本文以中国为研究对象,探究对外直接投资对母国环境的影响及其作用机制,对于“一带一路”战略背景下中国改善生态环境质量、推动经济绿色发展,具有重要的现实意义。本文首先从经济规模扩张、产业结构转型以及技术水平增进等三个视角,构建起对外直接投资影响母国环境的理论框架,并提出相应研究假说。随后,基于中介效应法,构建动态面板模型,在核算各省综合污染指数基础上,结合省级面板数据与系统GMM估计方法,实证探究对外直接投资对母国环境的基本影响,并对其作用机制进行了检验、识别与分析。多个角度开展的稳健性检验依然表明实证结果是稳健的。研究结论如下:一是对外直接投资通过推动母国经济规模扩张,导致其污染物排放增加;二是对外直接投资通过促进母国产业结构朝向服务化转型,有利于减少其污染物排放;三是对外直接投资通过引致反向技术溢出效应,有利于母国污染物排放减少;四是综合来看,当前中国推动对外直接投资,有利于减少母国污染物排放。最后,本文从优化国际投资结构、强化技术领域国际合作等方面提出促进中国环境治理的政策建议。     

环境载荷与环境压强:环境压力指标及应用

一个国家的经济活动产生的环境压力与其具有的环境承载能力。决定了该国社会与经济发展的可持续状况。因此．测度环境压力和承载力是制定可持续发展目标和政策的必要条件之一。基于国家尺度的社会代谢物质流、地理面积和生态承载面积。可以构建出一个国家本国环境所承受的环境压力总量指标体系——环境载荷和环境压强；德国、荷兰、奥地利、日本和美国等五个工业国家的环境载荷和各环境压强总量指标若干年的实证计算和对比分析。可以发现．虽然美国的国内环境总载荷、人均物质总需求及人均生态足迹赤字等均是各国最高者．其环境压强却处于五国的最低端。与奥地利相近；以环境压强指标测度。除日本不明显外．其余四国的经济发展与本国环境压力之间在研究期（1975—1996）均显示出“脱钩”关系．即本国环境压强并没有随经济总量的增长而增加。为此．最后就环境问题的公平性和环境压力指标的优缺点进行简要讨论。     

Sustainability analysis of SEEA indicators for non-renewable resources

Despite the fact that the non-renewable resources industry contributes greatly to regional and national gross domestic product(GDP),it casts massive negative impacts on the environment,which fails to be deducted from economic growth.Hence,sustainable development of non-renewable resources(extraction and processing)is playing an essential role in boosting economic growth continuously.The System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting(SEEA)proposed by the United Nations Statistics Division(UNSD)provides a brand-new perspective for sustainability study.This paper designs a fundamental approach of green accounting for non-renewable resources based on SEEA.Three main aspects of the accounting are extracted to explore the way of analysis for sustainability indicators,which are not touched upon by SEEA.Main analyses are as follows:(1)the analysis on the influence of the change of the discount rate in user cost(UC);(2)correlation analysis between environmental degradation and pollutants emission intensity;(3)analysis of the accounting results of green GDP and green GCF(gross capital formation).Then taking petroleum resources in Shandong Province as an example,this paper will calculate and analyze green data based on the accounting and analytical approaches discussed above.However,sustainability indicators studied in the paper are just associated with past economic activities,while investigation into the factors of the change of sustainability indicators is the one most critical point in relevant policymaking.     

中国的生态足迹与绿色发展

从2008年开始,世界自然基金会(WWF)与中国环境与发展国际合作委员会(国合会)联合,通过与国内外智库的合作引入"生态足迹"理念,从自然资源消耗与"生物承载力"之间关系的角度来研究中国经济发展所面临的资源环境问题。研究表明,2007年人类在消耗着1.5个地球。过去半个世纪以来,中国的生态足迹总量2007年已经是1961年的4倍,尽管中国的人均生态足迹水平仍然低于世界平均水平,但是已经突破了1个地球的均衡水平。与全球平均类似,中国生态足迹中最主要的组成部分是碳足迹,占54%。解决中国的生态足迹超支问题,关键是降低碳足迹。目前,中国的能源供给仍然高度依赖于化石能源,超过一半的能源供给来自于煤炭,中国和世界其它国家一样将面临化石能源枯竭问题。中国作为一个处于经济快速发展过程中的能耗大国,应及时调整产业结构和基础设施供给模式,在积极应对气候变化的同时提前应对自身可能面临的能源问题。中国所面临的现实决定了中国不能重复发达国家的高增长高资源消耗的老路,需要转变经济发展方式,发展绿色经济,为全球走向可持续发展道路提供探索的机会。     

中国经济增长与能源消耗的脱钩——东部地区的时空分异研究

工业时代的经济增长是以大量消耗能源为代价的,直接导致环境污染和资源枯竭。将经济增速与环境压力脱钩的同时,实现将人类福祉与资源消耗的脱钩,是实现绿色可持续发展的焦点问题。采用Tapio基本模型构建中国能源消耗与经济增长的脱钩模型,将1979-2014年的脱钩指数划分为8种脱钩类型。结果说明,绝对而稳态的脱钩是不存在的。虽然大部分年份的中国处于弱脱钩状态,但长时间尺度上,经济增长与能源消耗存在"连接-脱钩-复钩-再脱钩"的动态反复过程。以中国东部地区10省份为例,研究脱钩指数变化的趋势和时间分异情况。结果显示,进入21世纪后该地区复钩的可能性不断增加,特别在经济增速趋缓的背景下,需要警惕以能源消耗驱动经济发展的模式重现。计算并比较脱钩指数的5年均值,研究中国东部地区脱钩的空间分异情况。结果表明,经济增长与能源消耗是否脱钩与宏观政策的调整密切相关。不断提高利用效率以减少能源消耗总量,保持弱脱钩是中国经济发展与能源消耗关系的常态。     

Comparative analysis of socio-economic and environmental performances for Chinese EIPs: case studies in Baotou, Suzhou, and Shanghai

To decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, the Chinese government proposed the circular economy (CE) strategy as part of its 11th 5-Year Plan. This strategy expands the application of CE from individual enterprises to eco-industrial parks (EIPs) and to the cities, provinces, and regions. We carried out field studies in three EIPs in Baotou, Suzhou, and Shanghai. In this paper, we discuss the current state of CE and the sustainable development of EIPs in China. We first provide detailed information on the three EIPs' infrastructures, preferential policies, CE frameworks, and eco-chains. We then examine the status of sustainable development in the three EIPs from the perspectives of socio-economic, resource and material efficiency, and environmental performance. The results indicate that the overall performance of the three EIPs is reasonably good with respect to socio-economics, resources and materials, and efficiency and environmental protection, whereas green management is rather weak and thus requires further improvement. We found that the CE frameworks along with eco-chains within the EIPs are effectively improving resource and material efficiency. Moreover, we demonstrate that there are positive associations among socio-economic, resource and material, and environmental indicators. Given the large presence of EIPs in the local economies, these results suggest that EIPs play a key role in promoting sustainable development in China.     

China as a new shaper of international development: the environmental implications

The emergence of China as a global player challenges the pre-existing dominance of the OECD countries and will continue to be a crucial force for global change in coming decades. The implications of China’s rise will be most significant for low- and middle-income countries, but the outcomes will also affect China’s relations with traditional donors and the understanding of the process of development. While these issues are increasingly explored at the political and economic level, very little analysis is available for the environmental impacts that China has on low- and middle-income countries. It is well understood that China plays a major role in relation to climate change, energy use and natural resource use at the global level; however, the perspective of China’s environmental impacts on low- and middle-income countries is underexplored. This Special Issue, therefore, elaborates the rise of China from the environmental perspective and assesses the impacts of China’s rise on low- and middle-income countries for international research, policy and practice in the field of environment and development. The findings draw on insights relevant for energy, water, forestry and land issues in Asia, Africa and Latin America.     

The spatial-temporal differentiation of green land use in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration

ABSTRACT

As the space carrier of the construction of ecological civilization, land’s green and efficient utilization is an important guarantee for realizing national sustainable development. Based on traditional land evaluation, this paper scientifically defines the green land use, puts land as one of the production factors, and brings energy consumption, environmental pollution, etc. into the input-output system to measure the green land utilization efficiency of the urban construction land of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration from 2006 to 2016. The study shows that the overall efficiency variation of the urban agglomeration is related with the land and environment policies. Efficiency of 2016 is higher than that of 2006, and energy and environment are the principal factors affecting the green land use. The efficiency of each city is positively correlated with its economic development, negatively correlated with the construction land expansion. Efficiency gaps in different cities are expanding. There is positive correlation with overall weak space between cities, and the partial spatial agglomeration phenomenon appears. Therefore, the green land use efficiency could be improved by improving land utilization efficiency, coordinating economic growth of construction land utilization with environmental protection and taking feasible ways to transregional renovation of the stock ecological land utilization, etc.     

China’s climate socialization and renewable energy coalition building

ABSTRACT

Against the backdrop of a heavy carbon lock-in energy structure, China has made considerable progress in renewable energy (RE) development and become a world leader in this area within a decade. Although existing research suggests that rapid RE growth is mainly due to the convergence of economic growth, green industry competition, and energy security concerns under a unique state-led model, they oversimplify the difficulty inherent in RE policy shifting supported by formerly weak pro-RE actors in China’s historical trajectory of a low-carbon transition. By exploring the interaction between international and domestic actors by means of a socialization-based coalition-building framework, this paper aims at analyzing how the capacity building of the RE coalition gets enhanced via institutional anchoring and resource reallocation in the climate socialization process and how the strengthened RE coalition has spurred transformation in China’s RE policy and the challenges they are confronted with.     

Research on Indicator System of Regional Eco-efficiency: A Case Study of Chengyang District

Abstract

Eco-efficiency is a valuable tool for managing and solving issues involving resource consumption and pollution emission in current production processes. Despite the popularity of the term “eco-efficiency” in business, limited attention has been paid to measuring and reporting regional eco-efficiency for local government policy makers. Based on the concept and method of eco-efficiency, an indicator system of regional eco-efficiency is established in this study. The indicator system comprises 22 indicators, which are divided in to three categories including socio-economic development, resources consumption, environmental pressure. As a promising statistical technique, principle component analysis is used to set the weight of indicators which attempts to calculate the eco-efficiency indices of Qingdao's Chengyang District. The results show that the eco-efficiency of Chengyang District has clearly improved 35.1% with small fluctuation from 1995 to 2003. Socio-economic development index and resources consumption index also represent obvious increasing trends. The correlation coefficient between soci-economic development index and resources consumption index is 0.979, which means the social progress and economic growth of Chengyang District depend on an extravagant consumption of resources. The environmental pressure index in- creased slowly before 1997 and declined gradually after 1997, due to more attention being paid to environmental protection by local government in recent years. Chengyang District still keeps the traditional economic development mode with a high consumption and high production, so the emphases of future development should put on improving the improving the efficient use of natural resources and promoting environmental management sustainability. The results show that the indicators system of regional eco-efficiency is a promising method to quantitatively evaluate resources and environmental efficiency and provide an effective decision-making support for local governments.     

环境规制对中国区域绿色经济效率的影响机理研究——基于超效率模型和空间面板计量模型实证分析

基于2000~2015年中国各地区面板数据,在构建绿色经济效率测度指标体系的基础上,运用超效率DEA模型测算中国绿色经济效率,通过对所构建模型普通线性回归得到的残差进行Moran’I指数的计算和检验,发现其存在显著的正相关性,并在此基础上利用空间计量模型分析环境规制水平及其他相关因素对绿色经济效率的影响。结果表明：（1）2000~2015年中国东中西部绿色经济效率和环境规制水平均呈波动上升趋势,并且伴有较为明显的空间差异性特征。但随着时间的推移,各区域绿色经济效率与环境规制水平差异有所减小,呈现收敛的趋势。（2）绿色经济效率与环境规制水平基本呈现出东部地区>中部地区>西部地区的空间分异特征,并随着时间推移两者均出现空间结构不断优化、区域差异逐渐收敛等向好趋势。（3）环境规制水平对绿色经济效率的影响呈现一个先促进后抑制的倒“U”型过程,其中,东中西部地区的环境规制水平对绿色经济效率的影响分别处于不同的阶段;经济发展水平、产业结构高级化和科研水平与绿色经济效率呈现显著的正相关关系,而利用外资水平与绿色经济效率则呈现显著的负相关关系。     

The disappearing sustainability triangle: community level considerations

This article challenges the application of the sustainability triangle to conceptualise sustainable development by looking at how weak sustainability can be obtained via the reinforcing increase in social capital and natural capital. Sustainable development is often visualised as a triangle consisting of social, environmental, and economic aspects. Would it be possible to conceive a flattened system, with diminishing economic resources or without refilling financial resources? The possibility involves mutual reinforcement between social capital and natural capital. The consideration of the diminishing economic dimension relates to the concept of development without economic growth, such as degrowth, zero-growth, and sustainable growth, that has been revived in the face of the recent economic crisis. Several countries have imposed extreme budget cuts in development collaboration and in other government expenditures. When the economic resource is not at a satisfactory level, can we rely on the reinforcement between social and environmental aspects for sustainability? Although it is not new to acknowledge the contribution of social capital to environmental conservation, research has long ignored the reinforcing relationship between environmental and social dimensions. This article provides a prototype model to demonstrate how social capital and natural capital can reinforce each other. The prototype is studied and verified at the community level using a comparative method. This article concludes with principles and practices that may encourage sustainability with merely the reinforcement between social capital and natural capital.     

安徽省黄山市绿色发展时空趋势研究

基于《安徽省绿色发展指标体系》,结合黄山市的具体经济、社会与环境特征,设计包括6项一级指标和33项二级指标的黄山市绿色发展指标体系,运用基于群决策的层次分析法确定各级绿色发展指标的权重。基于2004～2016年统计数据,评估黄山市及各县区绿色发展水平的时空变化趋势与特征,利用聚类分析和主成分分析确定造成黄山市县区绿色发展时空差异的主导因素。结果表明：(1)2004～2016年黄山市及各区县绿色发展水平整体呈现上升趋势,究其原因,主要在于生态保护和增长质量这2方面绿色发展指数的显著增加。(2)黄山市各县区的绿色发展时空差异较大。造成2016年黄山市各县区绿色发展水平差异的指标主要集中于土地覆盖与土地利用、资源利用效率和污染物排放量。(3)2004～2016年间,黄山市在资源利用、环境治理和绿色生活指数方面进步有限,建议黄山市近期可以将其绿色发展工作重点置于提高能源和水资源利用效率、降低能耗、减少各主要污染物排放量和促进绿色出行等方面。     

The Economic Effect of Mineral Resources Exploitation in Bijie Prefecture in Guizhou

Abstract

The exploitation of mineral resources plays an important role in promoting national economic development. Mining is an essential component of China’s industrial economy. Using grey correlation method to analyze the correlative effect of mineral resources exploitation to relevant industries, using national income method to calculate the pulling effect of mineral resources exploitation to economic growth and using graphs as well as tables to analyze the income distribution effect, the article obtains active economic effect of mineral resources development in Bijie, Guizhou. Moreover, from the view of resources-cored effect, the article analyzes negative effects such as single industrial structure brought by mineral resource development. Through analysis, we find that mineral resources exploitation to some extent brings active effects including gross domestic product growth, local financial revenue growth and relevant industries development; however, its negative effects should not be ignored. The negative effect can be lightened by diversifying industrial structure and prolonging industrial chain.     

Integrating Concepts and Models from Development Econoimcs with Land use Change in the Tropics

In this paper I undertake a preliminary assessment for the tropics of the relation of economic development, meaning in general increases in economic activity as measured by e.g. GDP, and its normal biophysical corollaries of increased resource use and land use change. I also examine each in relation to the intellectual concepts that underlie and guide what is commonly called economic development. Because most of the development literature is derived from economics or other social sciences, and focuses almost entirely on lifting people’s standards of living as measured in monetary units, very little examines the per unit biophysical requirements of that development, including energy or other resource use requirements, land use change or other environmental consequences of development plans. In addition there seems to be insufficient connection between those who create economic development plans and those who undertake empirical biophysical assessments to determine whether the development plan has worked or can possibly work. The problem is deeper: there exists a series of models used in the development literature that have been used to encourage and guide development. These models have received very little scrutiny as to either their efficacy or their societal or environmental impacts until quite recently. When this has been done the models have been shown to fail miserably. It is time to develop a new model of development that synthesizes conventional economic, biophysical economic and social aspects, and that is based on the scientific method rather than on perceived wisdom. This model must also take into account population growth, issues of who wins and who looses from economic development, and the implications of the incipient peak in global oil production.     

Population,development,and environment in India

High population growth and continued economic development have caused serious environmental damage in the Asia Pacific region.However,the recent experience is that the pace of environmental degradation is faster in developing countries than in developed countries.To this end,the study seeks to assess the impact of population pressure on India’s environment,with particular reference to the degradation of natural endowments like land and water resources and the resultant environmental pollution in the six regions of India.The rapid economic growth and expansion of infrastructure development in recent decades have not come without serious environmental consequences particularly in the southern,northern,and western regions.But in the eastern,north-eastern,and central regions of the country,environmental damage has been mainly due to rapid population growth.