Valuing the environment : proceedings of the First Annual International Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Development held at the World Bank, Washington, D.C., September 30-October 1, 1993

The papers in this volume were presented by experts from international and national agencies, universities and research institutes involved in development and environment. The volume is divided into four sections. The first group of papers assess how much progress is being made toward sustainability since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and describes what kind of new development paradigm is required. The second section addresses the principles and practice of economic valuation of the environment. Water resources management was selected a specific topic for the third section to illustrate the importance and difficulty of recognizing environmental, health, and productivity values in making decisions about allocation and use. A summary of the World Bank's new water resources policy is followed by presentations of the experience of managing water in France and Pakistan. Two brief papers assess the relevance of the Pakistan experience to Egypt and Mexico. The volume ends with a series of statements made during the roundtable that concluded the conference. Participants were asked to assess the prospects for real progress in the coming years and to identify key issues requiring remedial action.