3. Ecological economics
1. Introduction
2. The Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
3. Ecological economics
3.1. Introduction
3.2. What is ecological economics?
3.2.1. What is so special about ecological economics?
3.2.2. Why economics alone is not enough?
3.2.3. The First and the Second Laws of thermodynamics
3.2.4. Role of products in ecological economics
3.3. Primary considerations
3.3.1. Economic and natural systems coevolve
3.3.2. The Earth’s carrying capacity has to be obeyed – the problem of scale
3.3.3. Resources and energy are not created ex nihilo
3.3.4. Man-made capital cannot substitute for natural capital
3.3.5. ‘All production is joint production’
3.3.6. Can resources be completely recycled?
3.4. Secondary considerations
3.4.1. Institutional analysis of failures
3.4.2. Market failures
3.4.3. Resources and ecosystem services are not free
3.4.4. Internalization
3.5. Tertiary considerations
3.5.1. Systems perspective
3.5.2. The precautionary principle
3.5.3. Pollution and waste prevention
3.6. Summary and conclusions
4. Industrial ecology
5. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) and eco-design
6. Input-output analysis
7. Policy analysis illustrated with case studies
8. Conclusions