Of Limits and Growth (Global and International History)
Cambridge University Press, 7/16/2015
EAN 9781107072619, ISBN10: 1107072611
Hardcover, 343 pages, 23.5 x 16 x 2.5 cm
Language: English
Of Limits and Growth connects three of the most important aspects of the twentieth century: decolonization, the rise of environmentalism, and the United States' support for economic development and modernization in the Third World. It links these trends by revealing how environmental NGOs challenged and reformed the development approaches of the US government, World Bank, and United Nations from the 1960s through the 1990s. The book shows how NGOs promoted the use of 'appropriate' technologies, environmental reviews in the lending process, development plans based on ecological principles, and international cooperation on global issues such as climate change. It also reveals that the 'sustainable development' concept emerged from transnational negotiations in which environmentalists accommodated the developmental aspirations of Third World intellectuals and leaders. In sum, Of Limits and Growth offers a new history of sustainability by elucidating the global origins of environmental activism, the ways in which environmental activists challenged development approaches worldwide, and how environmental non-state actors reshaped the United States' and World Bank's development policies.
Introduction
on the origins of 'sustainable development'
1. The rise of international conservation and post-war development
2. Parks and poverty in Africa
conservation, decolonization, and development
3. 'The world's most dangerous political issue'
the 1972 Stockholm conference and the politics of environmental protection
4. When small seemed beautiful
NGOs, appropriate technology, and international development in the 1970s
5. Leveraging the lenders
the quest for environmental impact statements in the United States and the World Bank
6. Conservation for development
the World Conservation Strategy and the rise of sustainable development planning
7. The persistence of old problems
the politics of environment and development at the Rio Earth Summit
Conclusion
the limits and growth of NGOs.