Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

According to the authors, who are affiliated with the international environmental research group, the Worldwatch Institute, the world economy suffers from a failure to consider the costs of environmental disruption. They argue that, in the absence of coordinated international efforts, environmental problems such as global warming, ozone depletion, rising sea levels, declining per-capita food supplies, and air and water pollution will continue to worsen. This is not, however, another gloomy prediction of an environmental Armageddon. The authors propose an environmentally sustainable global economy. They discuss the potential gains to human quality of life from increasing energy efficiency, creating a solar economy, using more recycled materials, and protecting the planet's fragile biological base. They acknowledge that moving from one type of economy to another is difficult and discuss how nations can begin the transition to a sustainable economy. Their suggestions include revising national economic indicators such as GNP to take into account environmental disruption, reshaping government incentives, and using tax incentives that favor environmental sustainability. The book is thoroughly documented and well written. This reviewer wishes this book would be required reading for every policymaker. Highly recommended for all collections.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

The son of farmers, Lester Brown was born in New Jersey in 1934 and attended Rutgers University, receiving a B.S. in agricultural science in 1955. He earned an M.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Maryland in 1959 and an M.P.A. from Harvard University in 1962. He worked as adviser on foreign agricultural policy for the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, served as administrator of the International Agricultural Development Service, and helped establish the Overseas Development Council.

In 1974, Brown founded the Worldwatch Institute, a private, nonprofit, environmental think tank designed to act as a global early warning system and to study overpopulation, famine, and other world problems. Located in Washington, D.C., the institute publishes the Worldwatch Papers series, Worldwatch Magazine, and the annual State of the World report. Although sometimes criticized for his emphasis on population control, this author of more than a dozen books and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship has been highly praised for his understanding of the threats to the ecology of our planet.

(Bowker Author Biography)