Policies For A Small Planet

First published in 1992. The world is not living within its means. Current development policies, in both industrial and developing countries, are wasting resources and destroying the commons on which we all depend. The world is set on a path of deepening poverty and a deteriorating environment. New policies are needed to achieve sustainable development. This book presents an integrated series of essays on the policies for sustainable development from one of the leading policy research institutes on environment and development issues. It concentrates on the developing world and looks at the specific sectors to which the policies have to be applied. Beginning with a discussion of what constitutes sustainable development, it goes on to deal with the institutional arrangements needed to mobilise human resources for change and the economic policies for sustainable natural resource management. It then examines the policies needed in agriculture, urban development, industry, forests, drylands, energy use, finance, population and consumption. Throughout it demonstrates how those directly involved are best placed to manage their environments and resources. Policies must support the experience and resourcefulness of local people. Sustainable development requires that they control their own futures. This title will be of great interest to students of Environmental Studies.

First published in 1992. The world is not living within its means. Current development policies, in both industrial and developing countries, are wasting resources and destroying the commons on which we all depend. The world is set on a path of deepening poverty and a deteriorating environment. New policies are needed to achieve sustainable development. This book presents an integrated series of essays on the policies for sustainable development from one of the leading policy research institutes on environment and development issues. It concentrates on the developing world and looks at the specific sectors to which the policies have to be applied. Beginning with a discussion of what constitutes sustainable development, it goes on to deal with the institutional arrangements needed to mobilise human resources for change and the economic policies for sustainable natural resource management. It then examines the policies needed in agriculture, urban development, industry, forests, drylands, energy use, finance, population and consumption. Throughout it demonstrates how those directly involved are best placed to manage their environments and resources. Policies must support the experience and resourcefulness of local people. Sustainable development requires that they control their own futures. This title will be of great interest to students of Environmental Studies.

Few scientific developments have given rise to as much controversy as biotechnology. Numerous groups are united in their opposition, expressing concern over environmental and health risks, impacts on rural livelihoods, the economic dominance of multinational companies and the ethical implications of crossing species boundaries. Among the supporters of the technology are those that believe in its potential to enhance food security, further economic development, increase productivity and reduce environmental pressures. As a result, countries - and sectors within countries - find themselves at odds with each other while potential opportunities for development offered by the use of biotechnology are seized or missed, and related risks go unmanaged. This book, a unique interdisciplinary collection of perspectives from the developing world, examines the ongoing debate. Writing for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, leading experts address issues such as diffusion of technology, intellectual property rights, the Cartagena Protocol, impacts of international trade, capacity building and biotechnology research and regulation. With the most recent and relevant examples from around the world, Trading in Genes offers the reader a single-volume overview of the connections between biotechnology, trade and sustainability that is both wide-ranging and thorough.

How you spend your time and money controls what happens on this planet . . . Planet Earth and its people are in danger. We face ongoing economic and ecological crises. These will deepen unless all of God's people begin to act as one global community. Natural resources are diminishing and the economic world order is changing. We cannot go on living as though we can call up another planet. Change is needed now and this book addresses that. The biblical vision of the world as oikos, meaning household, is God's challenge to all people about the way we live now--and in the future. Oikos affirms the need for reconciliation and peace between faiths and nations and should determine our economic practices and how we care for the planet. In this timely and challenging book is a renewed call to follow the Maker's instructions. Whether it is 9/11, Chernobyl, or the 2008 financial crash, that call for change is repeating itself. This book not only explains why we need to change but also provides practical advocacy of how you can help to achieve it.

Three topics dominate discussions of the global environment: pollution; the consequences of the affluent running ever faster through finite resources; and the growing tensions between rich and poor as a third of humanity continues to live and die in desperate poverty. In this exceptional book Barbara Ward (co-author with Rene Dubos of the bestselling Only One Earth) refused to see these processes as inevitable. It describes new technologies for recycling waste, for energy, forgetting more or less linking them to ordinary people's working lives. It also suggests a strategy for meeting the basic needs of the disadvantaged, and shows how the vast inequalities between countries can be reduced. This perceptive survey of policies outlines a planetary bargain between the world's nations that would guarantee individual freedom from poverty and keep our shared biosphere in good working order. Originally published in 1988

We have entered the Anthropocene - the era of massive human impacts on the planet - and the actions of over seven billion residents threaten to destabilize Earth's natural systems, with consequences for human societies. The authors combine the latest science with storytelling and photography to create a new narrative for humanity's future and reject the notion that economic growth and human prosperity can only be achieved at the expense of the environment

New edition of Environmental Problems in Third World Cities Cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America contain some of the world's most life- and health-threatening human environments. Environment-related diseases and injuries cause millions of preventable deaths each year. In many squatter settlements, children are 40 to 50 times more likely to die before the age of five than they would be in Europe or North America and most such deaths are environment-related. Many cities also cause serious environmental degradation to their surroundings and increasingly contribute to global warming. This updated and much expanded edition of the classic Environmental Problems in Third World Cities describes environmental problems and their effect on human health, local ecosystems and global cycles. It points to the political causes that underpin many of these problems - including ineffective, unaccountable governments, and aid agencies' reluctance to work with the urban poor. It also highlights innovative solutions such as: * High-quality, low-cost homes and neighbourhoods developed by urban poor groups working with local non-governmental organizations * Local Agenda 21s developed by municipal governments in partnership with community organizations.* In their analysis, the authors show that cities can meet sustainable development goals. There are practical, affordable solutions to their environmental problems, but most of these depend on more competent and accountable city governments and on more support for low-income households and their organizations. The book also outlines the changes needed international aid agencies to support this. PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION 'It's rare to encounter a work as authoritative and accessible as this. It is a mine of useful information from cities in every corner of the Third World, which does not shy away from the immensity of the problems, but says as much about the solutions to them as about the problems themselves' Jonathon Porritt 'Well written and very accessible' The Geographical Journal 'Of value to students, teachers, practitioners, policy makers and aid agencies' Third World Planning Review 'A valuable resource for understanding the underlying problems[this book offers] practical alternatives' Cities International.

The book that started a revolution in the way Americans eat The extraordinary book that taught America the social and personal significance of a new way of eating is still a complete guide for eating well in the twenty-first century. Sharing her personal evolution and how this groundbreaking book changed her own life, world-renowned food expert Frances Moore Lappé offers an all-new, even more fascinating philosophy on changing yourself—and the world—by changing the way you eat. The Diet for a Small Planet features: • simple rules for a healthy diet • streamlined, easy-to-use format • food combinations that make delicious, protein-rich meals without meat • indispensable kitchen hints—a comprehensive reference guide for planning and preparing meals and snacks • hundreds of wonderful recipes