Environmental Economics Research Hub
The goal of the Environmental Economics Research Hub is to address Australia’s major environmental management challenges with integrated economic research that provides immediate and continuing policy impacts. It brings together leading environmental economists, scientists, educators and policy makers to face the challenges of sustainable water use, soil loss and salinity, biodiversity loss and adaptation to climate change. The Hub’s integrated research, modelling and capacity-building encompasses the establishment of markets to achieve environmental goals, environmental valuation and the assessment and development of government intervention in environmental management. It will provide end users with the tools, understanding and framework to promote environmental sustainability in Australia.
The Environmental Economics Research Hub is based at the Crawford School of Economics and Government under the Direction of Professor Jeff Bennett.
Funding for the Hub is provided by the Department of Environment and Water Resources under the Commonwealth Environment Research Facility.
The Themes and Projects
The Hub comprises numerous research projects addressing four key themes, each led by one of Australia’s top environmental economists:
| A. Establishing viable markets to achieve environmental goals |  |
| Project Title | Description |
|---|---|
Consumption-based water pricing and price elasticities
|
Research project 1: Prof Quentin Grafton, ANU Using daily water consumption data and causal variables, models will be developed to evaluate various consumption-based pricing scenarios on short and long-term urban water consumption. (more infomation) |
| Economically efficient strategies for the conservation of Australian biodiversity | Research project 3: Dr Michael Ward, ANU Development of a long-term ecological impact model, taking into account very fine-grained ecological data. (more infomation) |
| Designing metric assessments for biodiversity tenders | Research project 4: Prof John Rolfe, CQU Develop a non-market valuation study to assess community values for specific biometric components, allowing community weights for each component to be included in biometrics. (more infomation) |
| B. Climate change analysis | |
| Project Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Adaptation and economic responses to climate change | Research project 10: Dr Frank Jotzo, ANU Analyse economic system responses to climate change, identify options for adaptation, and assess transferability of Australian approaches to the Asia Pacific region. (more infomation) |
| Improving Australia’s energy efficiency through faster development and adoption of technologies | Research project 11: Dr Jack Pezzey, ANU Theoretical and econometric study of Australian energy prices and consumption data to estimate short and long-run elasticities and the extent of induced innovation in efficiency. (more infomation) |
| Socio-economics of on-farm renewable energy | Research Project 12: Prof Tor Hundloe, Griffith U Identify economic and environmental costs and benefits with the utilisation of biomass, in particular in the dairy and corn industries, to produce electricity by cogeneration and distil ethanol. (more infomation) |
| C. Advancing Australia’s capability for social and economic analysis of environmental issues at the regional scale | |
| Project Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Designing marine reserves for biodiversity and sustainable fisheries | Research project 5: Professor Quentin Grafton, ANU Examination of the theory and practical implication of combining marine reserves with fisheries management tools (more infomation) |
| Salinity, uncertainty and property rights | Research project 9: Prof Kevin Fox, UNSW Assessment of the impacts of uncertainty on decisions regarding incentive schemes for salinity abatement. (more infomation) |
| Designing environmental policy for Australia from an economic and social perspective | Research project 13: Dr Regina Betz, UNSW Develop environmental policy options that deliver efficient, effective and operational outcomes taking imperfect information, uncertainty, transaction cost, complex property rights situations, imperfect competition as well as social and behavioural aspects into account. (more infomation) |
| The benefits and costs of biosecurity | Research project 14: Dr Tom Kompas, ANU An economic evaluation of measures to protecting Australia’s environment from imported pests and diseases. (more infomation) |
| D. Valuing environmental goods and services | |
| Project Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Estimating protection values at general and case study levels | Research project 2: Prof John Rolfe, CQU Testing different approaches to specifying environmental benefits for specific protection actions in forms that are useful to policy makers. (more infomation) |
| Environmental values and valuation over time | Research project 6: Prof Jeff Bennett, ANU Analyse changes in environmental preferences in the Australian community over time using quantitative and qualitative methods. (more infomation) |
| Integrating community preference into vegetation planning processes | Research project 7: Prof Jeff Bennett, ANU Coordinate with those responsible for the development of habitat trading frameworks to establish the scientific base of the weighting exercise. (more infomation) |
| Divergence between community and expert valuation of ecosystems | Research project 8: Prof Michael Burton, UWA Evaluate differences between public and scientific values for aspects of an ecological system and assess how much public values are mutable in the face of increased information. (more infomation) |
Seminars
| EU agricultural policy change: effects on risk preferences of heterogeneous farms Celine Nauges |
1 April 2008 |
| Data collection in less developed countries (household water use) Celine Nauges |
3 April 2008 |
Is Australia on a Sustainability Path? Interpreting the Clues |
10 April 2008 |
Workshops
| Choice Modelling Workshop | 1-2 May 2008 |
Taking the Precautionary Principle Seriously |
15 April 2008 |
| International linking of emissions trading | 15 April 2008 |
| Benefit Transfer Workshop | 22 November 2007 |
| Auctioning Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Permits | 28 November 2007 |
| Auctioning Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Permits | 29 November 2007 |
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Last Updated 7/05/08 04:43 pm
