Sharon Beder takes a look at the increasing use of \u27strategic lawsuits against public particip... more Sharon Beder takes a look at the increasing use of \u27strategic lawsuits against public participation\u27, or SLAPPs, by corporations against individual citizens and groups for exercising their democratic rights
The global impacts of power reforms
Dozens of governments have embarked on the pathway to electricity deregulation and privatisation ... more Dozens of governments have embarked on the pathway to electricity deregulation and privatisation since the mid-1990s. It has become the accepted wisdom amongst governments and opinion leaders despite the consequent price rises and disasters that have followed in its wake: the series of blackouts that have been experienced from Buenos Aires to Auckland; the government bailouts of electricity companies that have been necessary in California and Britain; the need for electricity rationing in Brazil; and the fact that it has become too expensive for millions of people from India to South Africa.
The Precautionary Principle
Market based environmental preservation: costing the earth
This paper reviews developments in both environmental economics and ecological economics with res... more This paper reviews developments in both environmental economics and ecological economics with respect to their progress towards environmental interdisciplinarity and towards providing solutions to environmental problems. The concepts, methods, theories and assumptions of each field of knowledge are reviewed and the extent to which they depart from the dominant neoclassical paradigm of economics is assessed. The contribution that interdisciplinarity has made to the success of each field is analysed in terms of understanding, influence and effectiveness and the constraints that it has imposed upon that success. Environmental economics has adopted the dominant economic neoclassical paradigm, including the power of the market to allocate environmental resources efficiently and in a socially optimal way. The solution to environmental problems is thus seen as a matter of ensuring that the environment is properly priced to reflect the relative scarcity of natural resources and assets and to ensure that environmental values are incorporated into the market. This specialized view of environmental problems is now reflected in government policy around the world including the use of extended cost benefit analyses, contingent valuations, environmental charges and emissions trading. Nevertheless, environmental problems continue to grow in severity and the solutions provided by environmental economists have proven ineffective. Thus lack of interdisciplinarity does not prevent a field of knowledge from gaining influence and dominance, however its effectiveness in terms of understanding environmental problems and solving them is impeded. Ecological economics seeks to incorporate the research of economists, ecologists, philosophers and social scientists, however its influence seems to be have been limited to areas in which it retains the standard economics framework, and this limits its effectiveness in terms of environmental solutions. Thus interdisciplinarity may increase understanding of the real world but
The burning issue of Australia's toxic waste. by Sharon Beder
New Scientist, Jun 8, 1991
tag=1 data=The burning issue of Australia's toxic waste. by Sharon Beder tag=2 data=Beder, Sh... more tag=1 data=The burning issue of Australia's toxic waste. by Sharon Beder tag=2 data=Beder, Sharon tag=3 data=New Scientist, tag=5 data=1772 tag=6 data=8 June 1991 tag=7 data=29-32. tag=8 data=WASTE DISPOSAL tag=10 data=Environmental protests have so far prevented the construction of Australia's first high-temperature incinerator. But government authorities are still determined to build one. tag=11 data=1991/3/8 tag=12 data=91/0715 tag=13 data=CAB
The Collapse of Wingecarribee Wetlands: An Australian Environmental Tragedy
Engineering Governance in Privatised Public Service Organisations
The key issues related to corporatization and privatization of engineering organizations and faci... more The key issues related to corporatization and privatization of engineering organizations and facilities that provide public service are discussed. The issues covered and how they impact public service is highlighted.
Precautionary Principle (Ethics and Philosophy)
Green Issues and Debates: An A-to-Z Guide, Mar 13, 2013
Noses to the Grindstone
Duke University Press eBooks, Jan 9, 2003
The Sustainability Principle
The Sustainability Principle and Economic Instruments
Learning autonomy & lecture enhancement in environmental studies
This project aims to develop a flexible computer-based learning package which can be used to enha... more This project aims to develop a flexible computer-based learning package which can be used to enhance lecture presentations and enable students to learn independently. The package will be designed to teach students about the social and political dimensions of environmental issues. It will contain resource materials that can be used by the lecturer in a large theatre, including video clips, sound recordings and overhead projection slides. This material will then be available to students who will be able to revise lecture material in their own time, explore aspects of it in more depth, and interactively access references, information and primary material to help them with assignments. The package will be designed to be used by students individually and in small groups. This journal article is available in Overview University of Wollongong Teaching & Learning Journal: http://ro.uow.edu.au/overview/ vol1/iss2/8
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Papers by Sharon Beder