Premium Members Get 10% Off and Earn Rewards Find Out More
The Cost of Environmental Degradation: Case Studies from the Middle East and North Africa

The Cost of Environmental Degradation: Case Studies from the Middle East and North Africa

The Cost of Environmental Degradation: Case Studies from the Middle East and North Africa

The Cost of Environmental Degradation: Case Studies from the Middle East and North Africa

Overview

How much is a cleaner environment worth? For policy makers, that question used to go largely unanswered. Many economic activities cause environmental degradation, entailing real costs to the economy and to people's welfare. Knowing the extent of these costs is crucial for identifying a country's main environmental priorities and allocating appropriate funds for environmental protection. Over the past decade, the World Bank has initiated a systematic effort to measure the costs of environmental degradation in the Middle East and North Africa, shedding new light on their magnitude and on the need for policy changes. In many cases, these costs were found to be surprisingly large. 'The Cost of Environmental Degradation: Case Studies from the Middle East and North Africa' brings together the best case studies of this program and summarizes their policy impacts at the national and regional levels. The case studies quantify monetarily the annual damage due to environmental degradation and express these estimates as percentages of the countries' gross domestic product. The studies use the most recent environmental valuation methods to estimate the economic costs resulting from air pollution, water degradation, deforestation, and land degradation. Uniquely, the book dedicates a case study to value the costs of environmental degradation resulting from an oil spill and demolition waste in times of conflict. The studies then illuminate the concrete implications on policy, investments, and institutions for the respective nations. This book will be of interest to policy makers, nongovernmental organizations, and academic and research institutions.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780821383186
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Publication date: 07/16/2010
Series: Directions in Development
Pages: 188
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Abbreviations and Symbols xv

Chapter 1 Introduction Lelia Croitoru Maria Sarraf 1

Measuring the Cost of Environmental Degradation 2

The Cost of Environmental Degradation in the Middle East and North Africa 4

Notes 8

References 9

Chapter 2 Water Degradation: The Case of Tunisia Lelia Croitoru Maria Sarraf Fadhel Ghariani Mohamed Salah Matoussi Hamed Daly-Hassen 11

Overview of the Water Sector 11

Methodology 13

Cost of Water Degradation 15

Conclusions 28

Notes 29

References 32

Chapter 3 Air Pollution: The Case of Jordan Lelia Croitoru Raffaello Cervigni Amer Jabarin 37

Overview of Air Pollution 37

Methodology 39

Cost of Air Pollution 41

Conclusions 46

Notes 48

References 50

Chapter 4 Deforestation and Forest Degradation: The Case of the Islamic Republic of Iran Lelia Croitoru 53

Overview of the Forest Sector 53

Deforestation and Forest Degradation 55

Methodology 58

Costs of Deforestation and Forest Degradation 59

Conclusions 66

Notes 68

References 70

Chapter 5 Land Degradation: The Case of Morocco Maria Sarraf Abdeljaouad Jorio 75

Overview of Land Resources 75

Methodology 77

Cost of Cropland Degradation 79

Cost of Rangeland Degradation 81

Conclusions 82

Notes 85

References 86

Chapter 6 Oil Spill and Waste due to Conflict: The Case of Lebanon Maria Sarraf Lelia Croitoru Mutasem El Fadel Karim El-Jisr Erkki Ikäheimo Erich Gundlach Samia Al-Duaij 89

The Oil Spill 90

Demolition, Military, and Medical Waste 114

Conclusions 133

Notes 135

References 141

Chapter 7 Implications for Policies, Investments, and Institutions Sherif Arif 147

Overview 147

The COED's Impact on Policy Making 149

The COED's Impact on Investments 152

The COED's Impact on Institutional Strengthening 154

Notes 156

References 157

Index 161

Figures

1.1 Estimated COED in Selected Middle Eastern and North African Countries 8

2.1 Fish Production in Most Polluted Areas vs. Rest of Tunisia 20

2.2 Fish Production per Boat in Most Polluted Areas vs. Rest of Tunisia 21

2.3 Annual Cost of Water Degradation in Tunisia 28

3.1 Estimated Damages from Air Pollution 46

3.2 Shares of Environmental Degradation Cost in Jordan, by Category 47

4.1 Annual Costs of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, by Category 67

From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Customer Reviews