Measuring Environmental Quality in Asia Book

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Contributors

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Environmental Indicators: Issues and Problems

Definitions

Criteria for Developing Indices

Functions of an Indicator

Intended Indicator Users and Audiences

Framework for Indicator Creation

Computation of Indices

Weighting Factors in Indices

Current Status of Environmental Indicators

Environmental Components and Themes

Basic Environmental Indicators

Environmental Indices: A Review

Sustainable Development

New Measures of Environmental Quality

New Environmental Quality Indicators

Principal Components to Find the Dimensionality of Indices

Cost of Remediation

Environmental Standards

Setting Environmental Standards

Development Diamonds-Environmental Diamonds

Environmental Elasticity

Computing Environmental Elasticity for OECD Countries

Applications and Policy Implications of the Cost of Remediation Index

ADB's Environmental Expenditure Record

Estimation of Cost of Remediation

Applications of Cost-of-Remediation Indices

National Estimates of the Cost of Remediation

Applications and Policy Implications of Environmental Elasticity and Developmental Diamonds

Characterizing Environmental Trends for Asian Countries

Assessing Environmental Trends in Asia

People's Republic of China

Philippines

Nepal

Pakistan

Indonesia

Cross-Country Comparison of Long-Term Environmental Trends

Computing EEs for Sixteen Asian Countries

Assessing the State of the Environment in Asia

Policy Implications of Environmental Elasticity and Environmental Diamond

Summary and Conclusions

Environmental Preferences

Proposed Indices: Their Advantages and Disadvantages

Application 1: Identifying Need of DMCs for Environmental Investment and Internal-External Financing

Application 2: Investments in Environmental Remediation Across Different Sectors—What Will $100 Million Buy?

Application 3: Financial Affordability of Environmental Standards—Are They Feasible?

Environmental Elasticity

Identifying Priorities for Environmental Remediation

References

Appendix:

Compiling Emission Factors for DMCs: a Method for Rapid Assessment Using Secondary Data

Introduction

Some Conceptual Issues Related to Environmental Emissions

Pollution Intensities (Emission Factors)

Industrial Air and Water Emissions: A Comparison Between the US and PRC

Vehicular Emissions: A Comparison between the US and the Philippines

Emissions from Energy Consumption by Industries and Households

Emissions from Agricultural and Forestry Activities

Solid Waste Generation by Industries and Households

Summary

Appendix:

Cost of Remediation

Introduction

Cost Functions

Cost Functions-Air

Cost Functions-Water

Cost Functions-Land

Cost Functions-Ecosystems

Full-Cost Accounting

Use of COR for Investment Decisions

Commentary on the COR Index

Appendix:

A Review of Environmental Indices

Introduction

Rationale for Environmental Indicator Development

Early Development of Media-Specific Indicators

A Modern Interpretation of Environmental Indicators

Summary of Traditional Indices

Institutions Engaged in Index Studies

Appendix:

Some Theoretical and Technical Issues Regarding Environmental Elasticity and Environmental Diamonds

Issues Regarding Environmental Elasticity and an Alternative Index for Measuring Environmental Trend Relative to Economic Trend

Issues Related to Alternative Ways of Sub-Index Aggregation

Summary