Book Review

by Paul Ganderton

DoE. 1996. Indicators of Sustainable Development for the United Kingdom. HMSO. pp vi + 196. ISBN 0 11 753174 X. £25.

This is one of the spin-offis of the UKs post-Rio commitments in general and the 1994 Sustainable Development Strategy in particular. Intended as a data set to promote discussion this is the first of what is intended to be a series of statistical volumes. The idea behind this is simple enough - to find a good set of indicators from the mass of data published so that it can act as a baseline from which future change can be assessed. Two extremely brief chapters describe the background to this project and the theory behind the indicators. Chapter 3 provides a summary of the findings from the indicators whilst chapter 4 gives the data for each indicator in detail (although usually using graphs). There is a commentary and a small footnote on how the indicator could be developed. The range of indicators is broad with 21 measures ranging from the economy and transport to acid deposition, wildlife and radioactivity.

The data gathered here would be useful for class discussion (although the price might be seen as too high). The graphs are clearly produced and cover much material common to syllabus and discussion. At a more critical level there is the concern about the choice of indicators and the lack of raw data from which to construct one's own studies. Nonetheless, a useful addition: one must hope future editions build on this foundation.