Environment In Question

by David Edward Cooper (Editor), Joy A. Palmer

First published in 1992. This book provides an introduction to the key environmental debates. By addressing specific global problems and placing them within an ethical context, the collection provides the reader with both theoretical and practical understanding of environmental issues. The contributors are internationally known figures drawn from a range of different disciplines, including geography, psychology, social policy and philosophy. The contributions range from those tackling individual concrete issues (such as nuclear waste and the threat to the rain forest) to those addressing matters of policy, principle and attitude (such as our obligations to future generations and the nature of technological risk). Emphasis lies not only on scientific facts, but on ethical perspectives―principles of trust, cooperation, far-sightedness, respect and concern for the future. The Environment in Question is designed as a text for students of philosophy, environmental science, environmental education, ecology and teacher education. It can be used as a self-contained, inter-disciplinary course book or in conjunction with relevant material. In addition, this collection of previously unpublished essays will interest professionals in each field, as well as the interested layperson concerned about this planet’s future. The substantial cross-section of concerns and approaches will provide all readers with the necessary background and insights to develop an awareness of the problems and to enter into the environmental debate.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 1992

Reviews

[Melissa]

Read Vandana Shiva essay "The Real Meaning of Sustainability." Argument against the 80's market-based solution (Brundtland Report, World Bank's president Clausen) to poverty and inequity. She outlines three fallacies of this approach: 1. primacy of capital, 2.separation of production from conservation and 3. assumption that nature can be substituted by capital. She argues instead that nature's currency is life. Her basic idea is embedded in this concise quote: "Nature shrinks as capital grows. The growth of the market cannot solve the very crisis it creates." p 189

read Herman E Daly essay: Sustainable Growth: An Impossibilty Theorem

Growth = bigger, Development = different, so we should be talking about sustainable development, sustainable growth is impossible

sustainable development should begin with industrialized countries