Just Sustainabilities: Development in an Unequal World

Published by: The MIT Press
Release Date: February 28, 2003
Pages: 367
ISBN13: 978-0262511315
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Books-A-Million, The MIT Press

 
Overview

Just Sustainabilities argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses many aspects of the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice more generally.

The topics discussed include anthropocentrism; biotechnology; bioprospecting; biocultural assimilation; deep and radical ecology; ecological debt; ecological democracy; ecological footprints; ecological modernization; feminism and gender; globalization; participatory research; place, identity, and legal rights; precaution; risk society; selective victimization; and valuation.


Reviews

“The authors have undertaken the important task of linking research, activism, and discourses around environmental justice and sustainable development. This is a crucial project because of the real divisions that exist between proponents of each vision. The book is quite original and well researched, and the range of the case studies, literatures employed, and theoretical perspectives chosen is impressive.”
David Naguib Pellow, Ethnic Studies Department, University of California, San Diego, author of Garbage Wars: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Chicago

Just Sustainabilities is a significant work. This diverse and sophisticated compilation offers both documentation and trenchant analysis of the global links among environmental degradation, racial oppression, and economic exploitation. It’s also a compelling road map for addressing them in a sustainable fashion.”
Luke Cole, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment

“Few books link scholarly research, theory, and activism in the manner that Just sustainabilities successfully accomplishes. This is indeed a seminal achievement that I highly recommend. I believe the text should be required reading in any significant sustainable development course as it offers a plethora of possibilities for an instructor using the included case histories to facilitate discussion and research. I was consistently challenged by the diverse views of the authors and appreciated the documented references.”
David R. Orvos, Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics

“A thought-provoking argument links the chapters of this edited volume… Just Sustainabilities contains enough interesting material to make this a useful introduction to the issues, and a worthwhile addition to reading lists, particularly for upper level undergraduate and graduate courses.”
Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy

Just Sustainabilities: Development in an Unequal World does a remarkable job of presenting the theories and challenges that exist practically and philosophically with regard to environmental and social justice and sustainability.”
Nicole M. Smith, Culture and Agriculture

“This book provides an integrated approach to the questions of sustainable development, environmental justice and equity.”
Oxfam