"An Introduction to Sustainable Development" presents the concept and practice of sustainable development as a process that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This textbook examines the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable development by focusing on changing patterns of consumption, production, and distribution of resources.
The impact of globalization and the role of the private sector including multinational corporations are discussed. Case materials include domestic and international initiatives and projects; protection of coastal wetlands; development of community-based water supply and sanitation systems; sustainable energy, forest, and industrial development.
This book was ok. The best thing about the book in my opinion was that it had a lot of information on a variety of topics; that is, it was both broad and relatively deep. As a result I feel I did learn a bit more about sustainable development than I have from some of the other recent books I've read. The bad part is that the material is presented rather poorly. The writing is dry and boring (like a poor textbook), and though the organization is straightforward in terms of chapter topics, there is little introduction or conclusion with each chapter, which I found made the information difficult to retain. As a result, I only read about 3/4 of the book (now it's due back at the library, and I don't feel it's worth renewing because reading it feels like a chore).
Book was okay. There was a good introduction to material but a lot of it was very basic and boring. The book didn't really get into the issues of sustainable development, it just touched the surface.