India’s sustained and rapid economicgrowth offers an opportunity to lift millions out ofpoverty. But this may come at a steep cost to the nation’senvironment and natural resources. This insightful bookanalyzes India’s growth from an economic perspective andassesses whether India can grow in a “green” and sustainablemanner. Three key issues are addressed. The first is thephysical and monetary costs and losses of environmentalhealth and natural resources driven by economic growth. Theauthors undertake a monetary valuation and quantification ofenvironmental damage, using techniques that have beendeveloped to better understand and quantify preferences andvalues of individuals and communities in the context ofenvironmental quality, conservation of natural resources,and environmental health risks. The second part estimatesthe value of ecosystem services from the major biomes inIndia using state-of-the art methods with a view topreserving them for the future. The third section provides amenu of policy instruments to explore trade-offs betweeneconomic growth and environmental sustainability using acomputable general equilibrium approach with particularattention to air pollution. The conclusions focus on the wayforward in terms of policies, measures, and instruments asIndia seeks to balance the twin challenges of maintainingeconomic prosperity and simultaneously managing itsenvironmental resources. This original version is also available at www.Routledge.com/9780415719353.
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