Molly Scott Cato
Green Economics: An Introduction to Theory, Policy and Practice
London: Earthscan, 240pp, £19.99.
ISBN: 978-1844075713
Even those who promote environmentally sound solutions to today’s issues often reduce the crisis to little more than an exercise of carbon accountancy, an approach that can leave the reader cold. Molly Scott Cato’s book is different. Expertly revealed through its chapters is an altogether more human approach to economics and the environment, one which is both scientifically literate and philosophically grounded.
We are first introduced to the early pioneers of green economics; the contributions of well known figures such as James Robertson, Ernst Schumacher and Hazel Henderson are discussed, as well as those of some surprising figures from the 19th Century and before (whom Cato refers to as the proto-greens). Once the scene is set, issues such as work, money and business are discussed from a green perspective, which she notes as distinct from either environmentalism or radical socialism. Finally the book deals with the policy context, giving practical green solutions to problems concerning taxation, welfare, land and of course - globalisation.
What is particularly refreshing in this account of a sustainable economy is the author’s positive language and practical thinking. She clearly believes that green politics is achievable, perhaps even inevitable, and her confidence is infectious. Nowhere is this enthusiasm better expressed than in the wonderful phrase ‘more fun; less stuff’, a prerequisite for a sustainable society and a powerful retort to those who believe ‘going green’ would mean a life of drudgery. However, Green Economics is more than the usual textbook on localism and sustainability; it is a direct challenge to an academic discipline that has lost its way. For a generation, economists have searched for scientific certainty and concentrated on complex mathematical models, neglecting important issues such as morality and spiritual fulfilment. The so-called ‘physics envy’ of a social science. Could this blinkered view be the reason their theories have failed so spectacularly?
As the author herself acknowledges this is by no means an original work but a collection of ideas and examples of ‘right living’ from all around the world, including her own community in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Some topics do feel as if they have been covered a little too briefly. It would have been good to see more discussion of the diversity and resilience of a localised economy and how this would shield us from the chaotic world economy. But as an attempt to bring together the often disjointed works of green economists, and in the process establish a new academic discipline, Green Economics is a valuable contribution. Just one year ago the tenets laid out in this book would have been considered radical. Now, with the collapse of markets all around the world, they represent a modest, common sense approach towards a sustainable future.
At last, here is a serious book on economics which has a clear narrative and is enjoyable to read.
Richard Eden
richeden@hotmail.com
Alanna Mitchell
Seasick
The hidden ecological crisis of the global ocean
Oxford: Oneworld, 240pp, £12.99.
ISBN: 978-1851686780
The iconography of climate change is big: drifting smog clouds, melting glaciers, lumbering polar bears. But, for Alanna Mitchell, it is the little things that matter most: algae, shrimp, coral, plankton. These are the small heroes of the world's largest ecosystem, the ocean, and will be its first climate change victims. Comprising 99% of the planet's living space and home to half its biomass, the ocean is central to life. But, oddly, the science of oceans has been largely overlooked on the international agenda. Isolated scientists monitor fish stocks or reef loss or alkalinity, but few put the holistic picture together. If Mitchell is right, then the net she has sewn in this book, connecting disparate scientists and compiling isolated strands of evidence, is an important one.
She captures the drama of the laboratory and the passions of individuals, but (apart from a few grating descriptions of sunsets) is focused on the core science. She uses the metaphor of the human body, a homeostatic system with a narrow tolerance for PH or temperature, to convey her message. Yet the need for this metaphor illustrates the problem with the science and (no blame to Mitchell) with this book. There is simply so much data with so many local variations that what is needed is one succinct image that will raise the vitality of the ocean in the public consciousness.
Unfortunately, unlike cuddly polar bears, it is hard to feel empathy with microscopic plankton, though producers of half the world's oxygen, or humble coccolinths, which sequester carbon in their fragile shells.
Alistair Brown
Mark Townsend and David Glick
50 Ways to F**k the Planet
London: Collins, 336pp, £14.99.
ISBN: 978-0007279883
“Why go Green when you can be red hot?” is the premise behind this intentionally frivolous take on climate change, biodiversity loss and every form of environmental degradation in between. As someone not unfamiliar with these issues, my eyebrows were raised slightly when I read the quotes on the inside front cover: “What a refreshing read”, “A wickedly amusing book” and “What a great, irreverent approach”. Nothing wrong with this you might think, until you notice that these are the thoughts of such environmental heavyweights as Pete Tong, Nick Cave and Alexander McQueen.
But perhaps that is the point. The vast majority of people will not read environmental books by academic experts, and nor will they read a book that comes across as depressing, preachy or simply downright dull. With 50 Ways to F**k the Planet, Mark Townsend and David Glick are attempting to reach out to those who might otherwise never bother to read about seal culls or the deforestation of the rainforest, using humour to lure them in. And if it works, then who can argue?
Lizzie Whitebread
Brouwer, F., van Rheenen, T., Dhillion, S. S. & Elgersma, A. M. (eds.)
Sustainable Land Management: Strategies to Cope with the Marginalisation of Agriculture
Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 264pp, £58.60. ISBN: 978-1845429027
This is an academic study of an important issue which was funded by the EU and largely written in “Eurospeak”. The research team have illustrated the problems of marginalisation of non-prime agricultural land in several European countries ( including Austria and the Czech Republic) and included examples from outside the EU (Japan and USA). The conclusions reached are familiar ones; globalisation of markets and centralisation of agricultural business activities have served to undermine locally-based agricultural activities in the marginal areas of Europe. And both national governments and EU bodies still fail to appreciate the multiple functions that many rural people play in managing such areas, eg the conservation and recreational value of mountain regions as well as the traditional forms of farming, forestry and wildlife management. Thus this book is not likely to be of immediate interest to the average Green Party activist. However, it may well be the sort of book that EU working parties, charged with looking into the parlous state of European agriculture and its unsustainability, could use as a source of data to help make recommendations for policy development.
Euan McPhee
