Endangered Mexico

by Simon Simon

In this work, the author makes it clear that there is more to Mexico's environment than city smog. This book gives an account of the whole range of environmental problems which face Mexico's people, from tourist development to oil spills and land exhaustion. Setting his account against the backdrop of Mexico's history since the conquest, Joel Simon explores the connections between economic exploitation and the management of the environment. He records the results, such as Mexico City sinking as the finite water table is sucked dry, or the deforestation of the Chiapas jungle. As a combination of first-hand reporting and interviews and in-depth research, this work is a account of Mexico's own crisis of deforestation, water pollution and desertification which also points to the broader contradiction between economic models of development and a sustainable use of resources.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1997

Reviews

[AJ Stoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cattle ranching is destroying our planet. We see it in our travels all the time. So we went to Mexico and I read this and of course these are huge problems brought on by misuse of land. We're going to be out of productive soil in the next 50 or 60 years... Everyday is a new disaster. So don't read this if you're a little depressed. You probably don't want to know that one day you could wake up in a city and not be able to breathe at all.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book absolutely fascinating. It details, from the conquest of Mexico until about ten years ago, the process in which the rich, the greedy, the politicians, and the desperately poor and starving have systematically destroyed the environment of the entire country of Mexico. I could not put it down, and I was walking around quoting astounding things to my friends, such as, "do you know that D.F., which has 25 million people, does not have a centralized water treatment plant and will entirely run out of water within the next five years?"

[Kristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned how ecological degradation of farmlands in Mexico has lead to migration to big cities, e.g. Mexico City, Tijuana; and increased the danger of border towns and pressure on urban resources, which in turn takes away from rural resources (such as groundwater). An amazing vicious cycle! Also, the book does a good job demystifying the Chiapas' Zapatistas, and explains how land reform (a fairly unique Mexico political phenomenon) has contributed to environmental damage.