Economic growth after World War II was made possible through dramatic increases in the use of material resources and energy. It is apparent that current development patterns followed by industrialized countries are causing serious environmental problems and that they are neither ecologically nor socially sustainable. In recent years, many Asian developing countries, which have suffered from poverty for decades, are experiencing high rates of economic growth by introducing material-intensive production and consumption patterns. The globalization trends magnify on a global scale the problems associated with current development patterns. How can we transform existing economic and social systems into more environmentally benign and sustainable ones? This book presents a number of issues that must be considered whn discussing new development patterns, which are environmentally friendly and socially fair. It covers concepts of new development patterns, new energy and water supply, sustainable agriculture, information technology and environment, information disclosure and poverty alleviation. Audience: This volume will be of interest to those who are involved in innovative interdisciplinary policy studies on environment and development, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region. Also those who are interested in realizing sustainable development through agriculture, water supply, information technology, chemical industry and sustainability issues in China and India.

Ann Dale argues that hope for the future lies in sustainable development - the fundamental human imperative of the 21st century - but what is first required is a new framework for governance based on human responsibility and a recognition of the interconnectedness of human and natural systems.

The worlds developing countries will be experiencing massive increases in their urban populations over the 21st century. If managed intelligently and humanely, this growth can pave the way to sustainable development; otherwise, it will favour higher levels of poverty and environmental stress. The outcome depends on decisions being made now.The principal theme that runs through this volume is the need to transform urbanization into a positive force for development. Part I of this book reviews the demography of the urban transition, stressing the importance of benefi cial rural-urban connections and challenging commonly held misconceptions. Part II asks how urban housing, land and service provision can be improved in the face of rapid urban expansion, drawing lessons from experiences around the world. Part III analyses the challenges and opportunities that urbanization presents for improving living environments and reducing pressures on local and global ecosystems. These social and environmental challenges must be met in the context of fast-changing demographic circumstances; Part IV explores the range of opportunities that these transformations represent. These challenges and opportunities vary greatly across Africa, Asia and Latin America, as detailed in Part V.Published with IIED and UNFPA

Provides a comprehensive look at local economic development and public policy, placing special emphasis on quality of life and sustainability. It draws extensively on case studies, and includes both mainstream and alternative perspectives in dealing with economic growth and development issues. The contributions of economic theories and empirical research to the policy debates, and the relationship of both to quality of life and sustainability are explored and clarified.

Environmental education is a field characterised by a paradox. Few would doubt the urgency and importance of learning to live in sustainable ways, but environmental education holds nowhere near the priority position in formal schooling around the world that this would suggest. This text sets out to find out why this is so. It is divided into six parts: Part 1 is a concise history of the development of environmental education from an international perspective; Part 2 is an overview of the 'global agenda', or subject knowledge of environmental education; Part 3 introduces perspectives on theory and research in environmental education; Part 4 moves on to practice, and presents an integrated model for planning environmental education programmes; Part 5 brings together invited contributors who talk about environmental education in their own countries - from 15 countries including China, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the USA; Part 6 returns to the core questions of how progress can be made, and how we can maximise the potential of environmental education for the twenty first century.

Reconciling explosive growth with often majestic landscape defines New Geographies of the American West. Geographer William Travis examines contemporary land use changes and development patterns from the Mississippi to the Pacific, and assesses the ecological and social outcomes of Western development. Unlike previous "boom" periods dependent on oil or gold, the modern population explosion in the West reflects a sustained passion for living in this specific landscape. But the encroaching exurbs, ranchettes, and ski resorts are slicing away at the very environment that Westerners cherish. Efforts to manage growth in the West are usually stymied at the state and local levels. Is it possible to improve development patterns within the West's traditional anti-planning, pro-growth milieu, or is a new model needed? Can the region develop sustainably, protecting and managing its defining wildness, while benefiting from it, too? Travis takes up the challenge , suggesting that functional and attractive settlement can be embedded in preserved lands, working landscapes, and healthy ecologies.

This book deals with the importance of industrialization and the development of manufacturing in the economic development process. It focuses specifically on new challenges such as global value chains, the rise of China, climate change, and the role of state versus private sector entrepreneurs in forging appropriate industrial policies.