The Local Politics of Global Sustainability

by Thomas Prugh, Herman E. Daly, Robert Costanza

The most difficult questions of sustainability are not about technology; they are about values. Answers to such questions cannot be found by asking the "experts," but can only be resolved in the political arena. In The Local Politics of Global Sustainability , author Thomas Prugh, with Robert Costanza and Herman Daly, two ofthe leading thinkers in the field of ecological economics, explore the kind of politics that can help enable us to achieve a sustainable world of our choice, rather than one imposed by external forces. The authors begin by considering the biophysical and economic dimensions of the environmental crisis, and tracing the crisis in political discourse and our public lives to its roots. They then offer an in-depth examination of the elements of a re-energized political system that could lead to the development of more sustainable communities. Based on a type of self-governance that political scientist Benjamin Barber calls "strong democracy," the politics is one of engagement rather than consignment, empowering citizens by directly involving them in community decisionmaking. After describing how it should work, the authors provide examples of communities that are experimenting with various features of strong democratic systems. The Local Politics of Global Sustainability explains in engaging, accessible prose the crucial biophysical, economic, and social issues involved with achieving sustainability. It offers a readable exploration of the political implications of ecological economics and will be an essential work for anyone involved in that field, as well as for students and scholars in environmental politics and policy, and anyone concerned with the theory and practical applications of the concept of sustainable development.

Genres: Nonfiction

196 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Russell Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Herman Daly, a co-author of this short, summarizing book, is one of the most interesting thinkers I've ever encountered. An economist and environmentalist and radical, he articulated, over the decades, in sometimes unfortunately dense but always persuasive prose, the case against growth, and the need to instead think seriously about what kind of communities, and what kind of economic relationships, could best achieve the sort of "steady-state" existence that he believed the processes of our ecosystem demanded. I was gratified, therefore, to learn in this late and in some ways slight book--really just a recitation of the main points of a dozen different, aligned thinkers--that he had come to recognize that some form of decentralized participatory democratic governance (and here he draws upon some favorite authors of mine: Benjamin Barber, Daniel Kemmis, Gar Alperovitz, Murray Bookchin, and more) was the only practical way to get to move actually existing populations to that point. I couldn't agree more.