Given the number and scope of environmental problems we face today, everyone from high school students to policy makers to concerned citizens should understand how the economy works and grasp how meltdowns--both economic and environmental in nature--can be avoided. "Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: An Encyclopedia" offers the critical information needed to comprehend these complex issues.

The entries cover topics in a manner parallel to how environmental economics is commonly taught, addressing basic concepts, environmental policy, natural resource economics, market...