- Email: [email protected]
Environmental sustainability. Practical global implications,
Ecological Economics 38 (2001) 305– 307 www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon
Book reviews Environmental sustainability. Practical global implications Edited by F. Smith, St Lucie Press, Boca Raton, 1997. ISBN 1-57444-077-2, p. 287 This book is based on papers delivered at an International Society for Ecological Economics meeting in Costa Rica in 1994. It defines and conceptualizes sustainability from a Southern (developing country) perspective, addressing concerns that Northern (industrialized country) viewpoints have for too long dominated the sustainability debate. It starts off with a vision: a world, 10 or 100 decades from now, where people live in peace and comfort within natural limits. This vision calls for those in the North to stop acting in ‘rampant self-interest’ by reducing their consumption rates and learning from the South. In the opening, synthesis chapter, Smith compares Northern and Southern perspectives and attempts to draw lessons from both. Although the reader is repeatedly reminded that there is no single Southern viewpoint, the impression is nevertheless created that North and South are distinctly different in their approaches to and definitions of sustainability, a point open to debate. The chapters are divided into two main sections. The first four papers address conceptual issues — the synthesis chapter by Smith that sets the scene; lessons about sustainable ways of life from indigenous Amazonian tribes, by Cavalcanti; an extremely insightful overview of common property resources and their management by Prakash and Gupta, and a Southeast Asian perspective on sustainable development by Bong Heang. The remaining eight chapters focus on a range of case and country studies with environ-
mental and resource economics as their central theme. Although making a number of relevant points about the importance of local institutions, biodiversity, indigenous and local knowledge, incentives and disincentives, and land and resource tenure in sustainable development, the book fails to confront the paradox that most developing countries have been forced to adopt Northern definitions and visions of sustainability in their policies and strategies. The reality is that most of the ‘poor, young billions’ of the South have strong visions of adopting the unsustainable lifestyles of the ‘rich, old millions’ of the North, and will switch to unsustainable practices if given the opportunity. Few effective disincentives for unsustainable practices exist. Unless growth is re-defined to include not only economic outputs but also standing crops of resources, as advocated by Smith in chapter 1, the global lure of unsustainable resource use will continue leading developing countries down unsustainable pathways. The substantial contribution from researchers from developing countries is refreshing, despite the disadvantage of some awkwardly translated chapters. In summary, the book is a useful reference source. Although somewhat dated it provides valuable insights and case studies to advance the sustainability debate from a developing country perspective.
.
0921-8009/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 9 2 1 - 8 0 0 9 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 1 8 5 - 9
Christo Fabricius En6ironmental Science Programme, Rhodes Uni6ersity, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa E-mail: [email protected]
Book reviews Environmental sustainability. Practical global implications Edited by F. Smith, St Lucie Press, Boca Raton, 1997. ISBN 1-57444-077-2, p. 287 This book is based on papers delivered at an International Society for Ecological Economics meeting in Costa Rica in 1994. It defines and conceptualizes sustainability from a Southern (developing country) perspective, addressing concerns that Northern (industrialized country) viewpoints have for too long dominated the sustainability debate. It starts off with a vision: a world, 10 or 100 decades from now, where people live in peace and comfort within natural limits. This vision calls for those in the North to stop acting in ‘rampant self-interest’ by reducing their consumption rates and learning from the South. In the opening, synthesis chapter, Smith compares Northern and Southern perspectives and attempts to draw lessons from both. Although the reader is repeatedly reminded that there is no single Southern viewpoint, the impression is nevertheless created that North and South are distinctly different in their approaches to and definitions of sustainability, a point open to debate. The chapters are divided into two main sections. The first four papers address conceptual issues — the synthesis chapter by Smith that sets the scene; lessons about sustainable ways of life from indigenous Amazonian tribes, by Cavalcanti; an extremely insightful overview of common property resources and their management by Prakash and Gupta, and a Southeast Asian perspective on sustainable development by Bong Heang. The remaining eight chapters focus on a range of case and country studies with environ-
mental and resource economics as their central theme. Although making a number of relevant points about the importance of local institutions, biodiversity, indigenous and local knowledge, incentives and disincentives, and land and resource tenure in sustainable development, the book fails to confront the paradox that most developing countries have been forced to adopt Northern definitions and visions of sustainability in their policies and strategies. The reality is that most of the ‘poor, young billions’ of the South have strong visions of adopting the unsustainable lifestyles of the ‘rich, old millions’ of the North, and will switch to unsustainable practices if given the opportunity. Few effective disincentives for unsustainable practices exist. Unless growth is re-defined to include not only economic outputs but also standing crops of resources, as advocated by Smith in chapter 1, the global lure of unsustainable resource use will continue leading developing countries down unsustainable pathways. The substantial contribution from researchers from developing countries is refreshing, despite the disadvantage of some awkwardly translated chapters. In summary, the book is a useful reference source. Although somewhat dated it provides valuable insights and case studies to advance the sustainability debate from a developing country perspective.
.
0921-8009/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 9 2 1 - 8 0 0 9 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 1 8 5 - 9
Christo Fabricius En6ironmental Science Programme, Rhodes Uni6ersity, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa E-mail: [email protected]