The Nature of Sustainable Development

by Sharon Beder

Scribe Publications Pty Ltd ...........P.O.Box 287, Carlton North, Vic 3054, Australia
Tel: (03) 9381 2715............ACN 005 403 823.............Fax: (03) 9388 9670
E-mail: scripub@ozemail.com.au
Publication date:..........August 1996
Format:....................336pp, limp-sewn, 240 x 182mm paperback
ISBN:......................0 908011 29 6
Price:.......................$A34.95
courses:....................Environmental studies/Science & Technology Studies
..............................Environmental economics
..............................Government/Politics/Public Policy

In recent years, the term `ecologically sustainable development' has acquired motherhood status. Everyone--governments, the business lobby, environmental groups--is in favour of it. But it seems to mean different things to different people. Is ESD the future we have to have? Is it an oxymoron? Or is it, perhaps, a trojan horse--a green light for developers?

Here is the second, up-to-date edition of a clear, comprehensive text which unpicks and analyses the main issues and problems embedded in the notion of ESD. The book carefully examines the way ESD is used, the concepts it straddles, and whether it can or will protect the environment. Key issues dealt with in depth include the relationship between the economy and the environment, the techniques of environmental valuation and pricing, the costs and benefits of regulation, local and global equity implications, the uses and limitations of technological solutions, and the roles of businesses, governments and consumers.

The text is divided into five main sections, with a case study at the end of each section dealing respectively with mining, biological diversity, industrial waste in the ocean in NSW, the greenhouse effect, and the car.

Sharon Beder, PhD, is the author of three books, including Toxic Fish & Sewer Surfing, and numerous articles. She recently won an award for excellence in science, technology and engineering journalism for an article she published in New Scientist.

Trained initially as a civil engineer, and a member of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, Ms Beder has had a long-standing interest in the social dimensions of science and technology. She currently teaches in the science and technology studies department at the University of Wollongong.

Critical responses to the first edition

'The book is in the vanguard of contemporary statements on sustainability ... Dr Beder is to be congratulated for providing a stimulating reference and teaching text': Australian Journal of Environmental Management

'This book displays a mastery of a prodigious amount of very up-to-date material': Prometheus

'This 300 page comprehensive study ... is authoritative and scholarly. It is also lively, readable and challenging .. easy to use and ideal for research': SA Economic Teachers' Society Newsletter

Contents

Introduction
The Sustainable experience

Part One
Economy and environment: competitors or partners?
*What is sustainable development? *The environment and the economic system *Is economic growth sustainable? *A case study: Mining

Part two
What is the environment worth?
*The measurement of economic growth *Should the environment be given a market value? *Environmental valuation in practice *The case against environmental pricing* A case study: Biological diversity

Part three
Policies and practices
*The role of environmental legislation *The role of economic instruments *Problems for policy makers *A case study: Industrial waste in the ocean in NSW

Part four
A question of equity
*Why consider equity? *Population and environment in Australia *Sustainability in low-income nations *Debt and the international monetary system *Equity between nations *A case study: The greenhouse effect

Part five
Can technology solve environmental problems?
*The importance of technology *Shaping the technology *The role of business and industry *Promoting technological change *A case study: The car

Conclusions Bibliography Index

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