Non-Economic Influences

In the 1960s, new economic perspectives on environmental problems began to emerge that were subject to important non-economic influences such as environmentalism, thermodynamics and ecology. This chapter will explore their contribution to our knowledge and perception of human interaction with the natural environment, and how they have influenced new theories in resource and environmental economics. To the extent that these new theories have carried on the conventional approaches to analysing natural-resource scarcity, as exemplified by the 1963 Barnett and Morse study, they will be classified as “conventional”. To the extent that they deviate from this tradition, they will be considered alternative theories. As the remaining chapters of this book make clear, the increasing concern over the economic threats posed by environmental and resource problems, particularly the persistent convergence of environment and development problems in the developing world, has given greater impetus to these new developments in environmental and resource economics that deviate from the more traditional theories and approaches. ¹