Book Review

by Paul Ganderton

Lester Brown, Christopher Flavin and Hilary French. 2000. State of the World 2000 Earthscan; Pages: xv + 275; ISBN: 1 85383 680 X. £12.95

Contents

1 - Challenges of the new century; 2 - Anticipating environmental "surprise"; 3 - Redesigning irrigated agriculture; 4 - Nourishing the underfed or overfed; 5 - Phasing out persistent organic pollutants; 6 - Recovering the paper landscape; 7 - Harnessing information technology for the environment; 8 - Sizing up micropower; 9 - Creating jobs, preserving the environment; 10 - Coping with ecological globalization.

Summary

See description of this table.

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Overall ranking

Review

Given that this is the 17^th edition of this increasingly highly regarded yearbook there is a temptation for the reader to pass over critical analysis assuming its quality on the one hand and of the authors assuming a constant uncritical readership on the other. Whereas readers must come to their own conclusion this reviewer can at least report the editors have maintained their standards whilst opening up new and challenging areas for discussion. Previous issues have looked at deserts and rangelands - the more "traditional" environmental areas. This issue has definitely broken from tradition with a series of thought-provoking essays on a different theme. True, the first chapter does provide an overview of key issues facing us in the new century but that's as far as it goes. Chapter 2 considers the rate and nature of change arguing that decline is not gentle but may be catastrophic - we won't know which way until we get there! Chapter 4 on the two malnourishments - underfed and overfed is a great antidote to the more usual hunger analyses. It is possible to be obese and malnourished but the implications of this are only just being recognised. Chapter 6 looks at the papers costs of the information revolution. It seems we are getting further from the "paperless office" as we go on. If IT is seen as an environmental cost then it can also be seen as an environmental benefit. Chapter 7 points out how we can use the new facilities such as the internet to spread environmental information. Finally, there's the discussion on the nature of global capital, trade and the environment. The catalogue of changes wrought in the name of the IMF or GATT/WTO demonstrates clearly the problems we are facing although the newer schemes like debt for nature and carbon trading may well alter this.

This is a most stimulating text. It covers some excellent new ground which should appeal to regular readers. The text is still evenly edited and the essays still provide excellent examples that could be studied with good effect by students as examples of good practice. More illustrative material would help but this still remains one of the only must-buys of this year - no serious library can afford to be without it.