Ecology, Economics, Ethics: The Broken Circle

by F. Herbert Bormann (Editor), F. Herbert Bormann (Editor)

In this book a distinguished group of environmental experts argues that in order to solve global environmental problems, we must view them in a broad interdisciplinary perspective that recognizes the relations―the interconnected circle―among ecology, economics, and ethics. Currently the circle is broken, they say, because environmental policy is decided on short-term estimations of material that take little account of the economic or moral burdens that will be borne by future generations if we deplete our resources now. We must, assert the authors, have a better knowledge of the science underlying our environmental problems, we must understand their causes and consequences in relation to our economic and political systems, and we must recognize that an effective response will require a shift in a technologically oriented society’s ethical attitude toward the natural environment. The authors address a wide range of concerns from global atmospheric degradation and spreading toxification of the environment to loss of forests and massive species extinctions. They offer to general readers, students, and professionals practical assessments and remedies for many of these problems. They suggest, for example, mechanisms that provide economic incentives for conservation; engineering and technical adaptations to use resources more effectively and dispose of waste products; better economic accounting procedures for measuring the real environmental costs of our depletion of natural resources; and a remodeled education system that better prepares us to see each individual’s responsibility to the environment.

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 1991

Reviews

[Gal Alon · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I feel like this is a very good book filled with unique theories about ecology, economics, and ethics. It talks about how those three things need to be interconnected and how we need to fix what is today a broken circle between those three things. The book also talks about many solutions to problems we have today relating to the environment and how we have to act on it as soon as possible. This book really gave me a deeper understanding of a wide range of concerns from global atmospheric degradation and spreading toxification of the environment to loss of forests and massive species extinctions. If you are interested in environmental sciences and ecology this book is definitely for you. One thing that made my rating go from 5 stars to 4 stars is that some parts of the book were a little hard to understand. But, overall, I would definitely recommend this book, and if you really care about the environment and want to learn about unique ways to fix these problems this book is for you.

[Elias Abebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book does a great job of introducing environmental problems in an effective way to the reader. This is because it does not just focus on the problem and how it affects the environment. With each new environmental problem that is introduced, the book provides a broader perspective about how this affects us by talking about how these environmental problems will create issues with our economy and how we are making a lot of our environmental decisions based on short-term economical benefits when in reality if you think long term, the economy will suffer. In addition, the book raises questions regarding the ethics of our decisions to knowingly ignore or cause these environmental problems that affect not only other organisms but our future generations. Due to this broader perspective the book provides about how the environment connects with our economy and ethics, I think that it effectively gets its urgent message of concern with our environment across.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Bormann does a very good job connecting issues of ecology and our environment to economy and ethics. This book gives a deep insight into how actions that may seem to have a small impact really do have a larger impact than people think. An example of this is the burning of trash. Most people think that it doesn't have much of an impact but it adds up and has a large impact on the entire world. This book talks about ways to resolve these environmental issues in a proactive and reactive way. It also sheds light on issues that people may not be aware of. Overall, this book is a good read for anyone who wants to learn about how environmental issues impact the world more than we think.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I assumed I would find this book boring and tough to read, it was actually a very good read. It explained the issues with our environment and how we handle problems very well. It connected the "broken circle" well and gave possible solutions to the problem. I would recommend this book to people who want to help the environment but also to the people who think the issues going on arent real. The book highlights how bad we are treating the earth and I think it would be important for people to understand that If we don't turn things around, we could have some serious problems. My favorite section of the book was the one on Pollution because it really made me realize that I was part of a bigger problem and I need to change some of my bad habits.

[guernsey-island · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book!