Book Description

As Thomas Sterner points out, the economic "toolkit" for dealing with environmental problems has become formidable. It includes taxes, charges, permits, deposit-refund systems, labeling, and other information disclosure mechanisms. Though not all these devices are widely used, empirical application has started within some sectors, and we are beginning to see the first systematic attempts at an advanced policy design that takes due account of market-based incentives.

Sterner's book is an attempt to encourage more widespread and careful use of economic policy instruments. Intended primarily for application in developing and transitional countries, the book compares the accumulated experiences of the use of economic policy instruments in the U.S. and Europe, as well as in select rich and poor countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ambitious in scope, the book discusses the design of instruments that can be employed in a wide range of policy areas, including transportation, industrial pollution, water pricing, waste, fisheries, forests, and agriculture.

While deeply rooted in economics,Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management is informed by perspectives drawn from political, legal, ecological, and psychological research. Sterner notes that, in addition to meeting requirements for efficiency, the selection and design of policy instruments must satisfy criteria involving equity and political acceptability. He is careful to distinguish between the well-designed plans of policymakers--and the resulting behavior of society.

A copublication of Resources for the Future, the World Bank, and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

Book Description

Promoters of multi-billion dollar land-use development megaprojects systematically misinform parliaments, the public and the media in order to get them approved and built.This book not only explores these issues, but suggests practical solutions drawing on theory and scientific evidence from the several hundred projects in twenty nations and five continents. It is of interest to students, scholars, planners, economists, auditors, politicians and concerned citizens. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Packed with Knowledge!
Every once in a while a little book comes along that, while small in size, carries sufficient intellectual weight to strike the body politic between the eyes, thereby getting its collective attention. This may be one such book. It offers a realistic look at megaprojects - those major infrastructure endeavors that span vast bodies of water, dam natural resources to generate energy and extend rail lines to previously unreachable regions - and compares the promises of these projects to what they actually deliver. The report card isn't very good. Cost overruns are typically 25% to 100%, and sometimes 200% or more. Worse yet, studies show that the public tends to use megaprojects - be they airports or subway systems - only a fraction of the amount predicted. We strongly recommends this book to politicians, legislators and anyone who wants to know the truth behind these huge infrastructure projects, as well as to CEOs, CFOs, project managers and risk officers in the private sector - this applies to your projects, even if there is a difference of scale.

A fool, his money and the bridge that parted them.......
I am the first amazon.com reviewer of this short, but important book. It concerns me that this might reflect a diminished U.S. readership. That would be unfortunate. Professor Bent Flyvbjerg and his colleagues have written a book of significance to taxpayers everywhere. It's apparent that they have written this book largely for the policy-maker; yet, make no mistake about it: the ordinary taxpayer has a major stake in this book's message. The central characters in Megaprojects and Risk are three large-scale, European transportation projects: the Chunnel, the Great Belt and the Oresund. American readers unfamilar with these names (the chunnel connecting London and Paris is perhaps the most recognizable to American readers) will nonetheless recognize familiar features. Specifically, they will find project costs that exceed estimates, and revenue inflows that are below projections. The traits are not unique to these projects. In fact, cost over-runs and revenue disappointments are a familiar global refrain, according to these authors. In spite of this, the number and scale of infrastructure projects continues to grow, forming what they call the megaproject paradox. The book is stronger on documenting problems, including the lack of project post-audits, than on providing solutions. I think they have correctly identified the problem -- the lack of accountability throughout the project life-cycle -- but their solution, which largely involves ensuring a healthy segment of private capital not supported by state guarantees, together with more attention to genuine risk assessment, falls short of the mark. The risk assessment tools are firmly established and largely well-understood (Monte Carlo simulation packages are increasingly available). So is the "moral hazard" problem that rears its ugly head when projects (in this case) are "over-insured." The difficulty, which they acknowledge, is that the political interplay between state, private interests and NGOs are decisive in determining whether and to what extent the appropriate risk assessment and risk management tools are used.

This problem is inherent in the beast. Policy-makers would love for the private sector to shoulder the risk, but may not be willing to permit a commensurate return. Private players, just as understandably, are apt to seek insurance of one kind or another on the downside. The best medicine, and one that this book delivers admirably, is simply to raise our awareness of the track record from the start.

This short book has the look and feel of an academic work. It would, however, be unfortunate if it languished at the university bookstore. Global demographics dictate that larger-scale infrastructure investments are in our future. No one should pay for, promote or plan for such projects before they have digested the lessons in Megaprojects and Risk. ... Read more

Book Description

In this remarkable book, Barbara Freese takes us on a rich historical journey that begins hundreds of millions of years ago and spans the globe. Prized as "the best stone in Britain" by Roman invaders who carved jewelry out of it, coal has transformed societies, expanded frontiers, and sparked social movements, and still powers our electric grid. Yet coal’s world-changing power has come at a tremendous price, including centuries of blackening our skies and lungs—and now the dangerous warming of our global climate. Ranging from the "great stinking fogs" of London to the rat-infested coal mines of Pennsylvania, from the impoverished slums of Manchester to the toxic streets of Beijing, Coal is a captivating narrative about an ordinary substance with an extraordinary impact on human civilization. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

To build a world that no longer needs coal . . . . .
This is a truly remarkable book.

In time, and hopefully in the not-too-distant future, Barbara Freese will attain the well-deserved stature that Rachel Carson achieved with "Silent Spring" just 40 years ago -- or Sinclair Lewis a century ago when he exposed the horrors of the meat packing industry.

As Freese so eloquently illustrates, it's hard to dislike coal. Her history credits coal, plus a variety of lucky accidents, with being the foundation of almost everything we love and hold dear in our industrial-intellectual-materialist modern luxury. The ability of coal to produce energy has been known for thousands of years, but it took many new ways of thinking to unleash the latent power of coal as the fuel of industrialization.

Freese treads lightly though the history of coal, showing how a unique combination of events and circumstances made it the fuel of choice in England at the time of William Shakespeare was writing and Queen Elizabeth I. The US trailed England until the latter half of the nineteenth century when coal made this country the most powerful nation on earth.

Given that, it's hard to picture the US giving up King Coal to adopt alternatives. After all, could America give up King George III to adopt a democratic alternative? England, in the 1600s, made the change which led to industrialization; at about the same time, China didn't and plummeted from being the world's most powerful economy into a helpless undemocratic giant by 1800.

Granted, such decisions don't hinge on the next election - - or the last one. The basic change may take a century; but, Freese argues, unless fundamental changes are made in our source of energy, we face certain disaster. Of course, England, China and every coal-based economy faces similar challenges within the same time frame.

The problem, as Freese points out, is that dramatic global climate change hinges on a few degrees in temperature. The last Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago, was only 5 degrees Celsius colder than today; and that change occurred within a decade. Within another century, unless energy policies change, global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels could send temperatures up another 5 degrees Celsius and melt the last of the ice caps - - which are already melting.

One possibility is rising oceans, which drown out coastal regions where most people now live. The other is rising oceans, putting vastly more moisture and carbon dioxide in the air which cuts off sunlight, chilling the planet enough to trigger massive snowstorms that create another Ice Age. Take your pick. That is the future we face if we don't act.

England, some 400 years ago, faced a similar "energy crisis" due to over-cutting of forests to provide basic energy plus the charcoal needed to smelt iron. Coal was quickly adopted to provide heat, but it took a century to learn how to make coke to smelt iron. The result produced the Industrial Revolution.

Freese says we must find an alternative . . . . . or else. Carson said as much in "Silent Spring" -- find an alternative to DDT or face the consequences of widespread environmental poisoning. The beauty of America is its ability to overcome such challenges and improve results for everyone.

She is also wise enough to point out that well-meaning, sincere and sometimes intelligent people will say nothing new needs to be done. A century ago, some even argued that coal smoke was healthier than fresh air because coal smoke, having been through the fire, was not germ-laden as was fresh air.

Freese is objective enough not to advocate solutions. Instead, she clearly and concisely illustrates the problem. Carson had a simple answer, "Ban DDT." Now, the environmental challenge is vastly different, and more immense. Today, "coal" is the problem, "Ban coal" is not the answer. Instead, we need a better alternative. When that happens, coal will disappear due to competition from a superior product.

What could be more American?

Our challenge is to build a world that no longer needs coal, before nature creates a world that doesn't need us.

Well-written and comprehensive
From the premise that coal is stored solar energy, Barbara Freese examines the role that coal has taken in the development of human history. She manages to lay out the "connections" between the discovery and exploitation of this resourse and the resulting economic, social, and political changes. All this is done in a very readable format.

The only mild criticism I can assign is that, toward the end of the book, she looks to the future and projects what the ultimate result of all this may be. To be fair, that analysis completes the "history" she sets out to profile, and is obviously the point of the book. However, the projection is not nearly as fascinating as the history.

When I have loaned this book to friends, my advice has been to read as long as it interests you, and then put it away without guilt. It will be well worth the read, no matter how far you go.

Coaldust
Freese does a middling job with Coal: A Human History. The first part was well-written, certainly well-researched, and included many interesting facts about coal. The text takes a tangent in the latter half, however. Her critique is really an unsuccessful attempt to explore the effects of coal to contemporary material and cultural history - which is implied in her title. For example, when earlier she shares historical quotes of the sublime quality of coal fogs in urban areas and its modern allure, later she critiques its negative environmental impacts without engaging these earlier anecdotes - there's a troubling disconnect in her analysis between past and present.

Freese has spliced a valid contemporary environmental critique onto a strong historical look at the effects of our relationship to coal on cultural and industrial development. I should direct my critique at her editors because she is an excellent writer and supports her theses well. I believe readers would be better served with two pieces - a more fully explored environmental history of coal, and a follow-up companion treatise on the contemporary situation.

Coal... a slightly different perspective
This is a truly insightful and fluid book. The story line is very well written and highly informative. It brings out the history of the black rock and weaves it quite compellingly into the history of modern western civilization. The differentiation between anthracite and bituminous coal serves to illustrate the differences between the East and the Midwest of the US.
The book takes an odd turn, however, when it turns into political commentary and develops the themes espoused at Kyoto. There is no mention of all of the big coal towns that have sprung up over the last few decdades in the modern American West. Places like Gillette, Kemmerer, Craig or Rock Springs where truly world-class, state-of-the-art technology has come to the fore to mine the rock as economically and sensitively as possible. Similarly, there is no mention of the state-of-the-art rail systems that serve these hubs to bring coal to major metropolitan communities. And to, there is no discussion of new fluidized bed systems designed to burn the pulverized coal as cleanly as possible.
When I finished the book, I felt somewhat diasappointed that the theme of "A Human History" was truncated after Kyoto. If I had wanted to read a natural resources poli sci book, I would have bought one.
Nonetheless, the author is to be commended for her first attempt here and this reader looks forward to reading her next work.

A Well balanced book
A very good account of the history of coal, The author explains the basics, the different types of coal and how they are formed, The book progresses onto early societies and their treatment of the "burning stones". As can be expected the major part of the book is about the industrial revolution and the struggle of cities such as London and Pittsburg to maintain a habital city..The coal industry became "King Coal" and became the industrial lifeblood in many countries. A vital industry over which industrial sectors were formed and labor rights were gained. The Final chapters of the book deal with the pollution problems brought on by the burning coal. Two serious points are brought up;
1) Society can engineer away most of the pollution problems to the point where coal approaches almost perfect combustion. It will result in a much higher cost to utilize coal, and perfect combustion will still leave us with a massive Carbon dioxide output problem. Perhaps accelerating the global warming scenarios
2)The China question, as a large developing nation China is also heavily dependent on coal as a cheap and readily available energy source, and because of China's scarce resources it applies minimal polution control.
This combination does not bode well for the future. This reader thought the material was presented in a very professional manner. It was not a "the sky is falling" type of book. It is in fact a good book to obtain a balanced view. It explains how humans have lived with coal in the past and states that societies may have major decisions to make in the future. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Bravo for Sound Science and Policy
Joe Romm's marvelous new book, The Hype About Hydrogen, is "must read" for policy makers, environmentalists, researchers, activists, investors, and all citizens who want a sound and honest appraisal of the possibility of a future "hydrogen economy". Dr. Romm's broad expertise in energy-related R&D is evident throughout this long-overdue and objective look at the seriousness of its technical challenges. For several years, a handful of insightful scientists around the world have been trying to get their voices heard regarding the serious issues that seem likely to prevent a hydrogen economy from becoming a reality for at least 40 years. Sadly, even the professional scientific journals and institutions, apparently fearful that the truth might jeopardize funding of pet projects, have hesitated to give audience to the daunting scientific objections to a hydrogen economy.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a detailed study, The Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities, Costs, Barriers, and R&D Needs, early in 2004 that was the first step by a distinguished body toward an objective look at the hydrogen economy. On the heels of this study especially, it seems irresponsible for Energy Secretary Abraham to continue to actively promulgate the fantasy that hydrogen will solve our energy problems.

Joe's book, like the NAS study, points out in a clear, and scientifically sound manner why (1) hydrogen fuel cells are not likely to become cost competitive in vehicles, (2) hydrogen fuel will likely always be too expensive, (3) FC vehicles do not help reduce greenhouse gases, (4) the hydrogen infrastructure hurdle is immense, and (5) we must begin now taking meaningful steps to reduce CO2 emissions.

Our planet is facing the serious dual challenges of global warming and the end of cheap oil. Dr. Romm puts the issues of fuel cell manufacturing cost, hydrogen fuel cost, competition, infrastructure cost, and global warming in easy-to-understand language. My only criticisms are that I wish he would have included more on (1) the challenges of hydrogen production by nuclear energy and (2) promising next-generation biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, bio-methanol, mixed-higher-alcohols from biomass, and biodiesel from high-oil algae. A recent paper, "Fuels for Tomorrow's Vehicles", nicely complements The Hype About Hydrogen in this regard. The Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment has also recently released a scholarly work that, like The Hype About Hydrogen, looks fairly at the putative hydrogen economy and comes to similar conclusions.

A Pretentious and Disingenuous Piece of Trash
Romm, a skilled but disingenuous academic, makes hay with his has-been political credentials in an effort to sway public sentiment away from desperately needed government hydrogen funding and toward his dead end pet projects. Carefully ignoring important information counter to his argument, he builds a case against the clean air and energy security promise of hydrogen energy that has outraged the core of the hydrogen community.

In "Responses to Joe Romm's Seven Points on the Hydrogen Economy", C. E. "Sandy" Thomas, long time leader of high level studies on hydrogen safety and efficiency, and now President of H2Gen Innovations, tears apart Romm's thesis thread by thread. This freely distributed white paper can be found at the web sites of EV World and the International Clearinghouse for Hydrogen Based Commerce.

A few of Sandy's key observations:

"Joe says that it took PV and wind 20 years for a 10X drop in price, therefore the 100X drop that he portrays for FCVs would take many decades. He concludes that a major breakthrough in fuel cell technology is required. Christine Sloane of GM reports that they are within a factor of 10 now (if mass produced) in the range of a few hundred $/kW without any breakthrough."

"Hydrogen produced by the H2Gen's HGM natural gas reformer at the fueling station or fleet operator's garage would cost less per mile than taxed gasoline. We estimate that the life-cycle costs of owning and operating a hydrogen FCV would be $2,290 less than owning and operating a conventional gasoline car..."

"Joe Romm claims that a storage breakthrough is required before FCVs will be practical. The Ford Motor Company designed (but did not build) a FCV in 1994-95 that would have achieved 280 miles range using 5,000 psi hydrogen tanks based on a slightly modified Ford Contour, and 380 miles range with PNGV body parameters. Storage improvements would be welcomed, but no storage breakthrough is required."

"The NRC report does state in one chapter that "the cost of generating hydrogen with any of the distributed technologies...would greatly exceed the gasoline costs." [p. 5-7]. However, they neglect the increased fuel economy of the FCV that will reduce the costs per mile, the only figure of merit of importance to the driver. ...Conclusion: Data provided in the NRC report show that the cost of hydrogen per mile driven will be between 27% to 52% lower than the cost of gasoline at $1.80/gallon in a conventional car, and between 3% more to 32% less than the cost of gasoline used in a hybrid electric vehicle."

"We have no debate with Joe's admiration of the gasoline hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) such as the Prius. In the short term, everyone should be encouraged to purchase HEVs to cut oil imports and pollution. It is not a question of either HEVs or FCVs; we can do both. In the long term, however, the gasoline HEV is a dead-end road for both GHGs and oil import reductions. ...gasoline HEVs will temporarily reduce GHGs and oil imports, but that advantage is wiped out within a decade or so by increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Hence we have to move to hydrogen to assure a long-term solution to GHGs and oil imports. These charts assume that all hydrogen is made from natural gas initially, gradually transitioning to hydrogen from renewables, such that 50% of all hydrogen comes from renewables by 2050."

Don't be fooled into thinking Romm is an expert. There is a lot of jealousy over the money going into hydrogen R&D. The ethanol lobby is a prime example. Ask yourself what Romm's cheerleaders have to gain before swallowing his line. Romm is wrong. This propaganda text is a example of educated sophistry at its worst.

Richard D. Masters
International Clearinghouse for Hydrogen Based Commerce

Hydrogen is no quick fix
This book gives the reader a very good idea of the daunting technical, economic and environmental issues to be tackled in the transition to the hydrogen economy. Clearly, we need to take some tough measures to contain global warming until a hydrogen economy is ready.

Explaining why hydrogen isn't the quick fix touted
Can hydrogen solve our energy and environmental problems? Some claim emission-free hydrogen fuel sells will solve the environmental crisis: author Joseph J. Romm says otherwise, explaining why hydrogen isn't the quick fix touted, and arguing that hydrogen's promise will not be realized until the long term. Politics and economics blends with social and environmental analysis to provide a scientific and social survey of hydrogen in The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact And Fiction In The Race To Save The Climate.

The real deal on the future of the hydrogen economy
Having read Jeremy Rifkin's interesting, but rose-colored and somewhat tangential take on the future of the hydrogen fuel cell: The Hydrogen Economy: The Creation of the World-Wide Energy Web and the Redistribution of Power on Earth (2002), I was pleased to read something from a full-time energy professional.

Joseph Romm, author of this sobering volume, worked in the Department of Energy in the Clinton administration and has been involved intimately with hydrogen research and development for many years. His main point is that we must eventually have a hydrogen economy based on the hydrogen fuel cell, but that we must not expect this to happen without some major technological breakthroughs. His book is a warning that the global warming clock is ticking and ticking, and that we need to do something now if we hope to avoid a possible catastrophe.

The really scary thing about global warming is that we may pass over the point of no return without knowing it. Furthermore, a full-blown, runaway greenhouse effect would make nuclear winter look like a walk in the park. Look what happened to Venus, where on any spring day (or winter day for that matter) the surface is hot enough to melt lead. Could that happen here? The real and direct answer to that question is: we don't know.

Romm is not painting any such dire scenarios in this book, but he does state most clearly that "the primary reason why we should pursue fuel cells and a hydrogen economy is to help respond to global warming." (p. 188) He adds, "global warming is the most intractable and potentially catastrophic environmental problem facing...the planet this century." (p. 152) Romm identifies carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere as the primary cause of global warming.

What to do and how to do it? Because Romm addresses these questions in such compelling detail, this is the book I believe that will be--if it hasn't already been--read by high-ranking government officials and the CEOs of energy corporations throughout the world. I hope that Sen. John Kerry and President George W. Bush will read it. What they will find is that it will require a closely co-ordinated effort on the part of both government and the private sector to bring about a cost-effective hydrogen technology. This technology will include the building of an infrastructure for making and distributing hydrogen that will cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Romm makes it clear that none of this will happen until hydrogen becomes competitive with fossil fuels in terms of cost and efficiency. Right now hydrogen is most cheaply made from fossil fuels themselves, a process that does not reduce green house gases, and furthermore is much more expensive, no matter what currently-available technology is used, than gasoline itself, and will remain so for many years, probably decades, to come.

Ultimately the goal is to manufacture hydrogen from water using renewable resources such as biomass, wind, sun, downward running water, evaporation, ocean currents, etc. to split the water molecule into its component elements. Romm's immediate future scenario has us obtaining hydrogen from natural gas while using our renewable energy resources to produce electricity in an effort to begin to slow the belching of carbon dioxide into the air.

Romm believes that oil production will probably peak in the first half of this century. He adds that "Some believe this will occur by 2010." (p. 16) Given this, it is obvious that we will have to come up with some sort of fuel to replace oil. Since only "a limited number of fuels are plausible alternatives for gasoline" (p. 16), and since the one with the most going for it is hydrogen, it will be hydrogen. But transporting hydrogen the way we transport gasoline will be more expensive, perhaps prohibitively expensive since it has to be condensed and/or made into a very cold liquid under pressure. One might think we could transport water instead and make hydrogen at hydrogen stations, but the most efficient conversion methods require large scale operations at high temperatures.

There are several other very challenging problems to be faced, not the least of which is what Romm identifies as "the chicken or the egg" conundrum. That is, automakers will not make hydrogen fuel cell cars until the hydrogen infrastructure is in place, and the infrastructure will not appear until there are a sufficient number of fuel cell cars on the road.

While I think Romm maintains a cautious level of optimism in the face of these difficulties, he does on occasion let his pessimism show: "If the actions of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden and record levels of oil imports couldn't induce lawmakers, automakers, and the general public to embrace EXISTING vehicle energy efficiency technologies...I cannot imagine what fearful events must happen before the nation will be motivated to embrace hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which will cost much more to buy...to fuel, and require massive government subsidies to pay for the infrastructure." (p. 162)

If you want to know where we really are vis-vis the so-called hydrogen economy, read this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Everything For Sale is an erudite reprieve from the deluge of books written in praise of free markets. Robert Kuttner fires back with a book that documents relevant, real-world examples of market failure and makes the case for intelligent intervention to attain more desirable outcomes. His exhaustive litany of successful (some, even cherished) government interventions in the market--from National Public Radio to the Internet--creates a persuasive case for a mixed program of political and market-based approaches in the shaping of public policy. When Kuttner pushes his argument for a culture with less commercial emphasis, his preferences exhibit an anti-market bias.But overall, his argument is clear and compelling, exposing blind adherence to market outcomes as largely arbitrary, ideological, and often, an affront to democracy. Academic economists who ignore the political desires of the people in order to protect the purity of their mathematical models draw Kuttner's fire in particular. He writes about ideas and economic details with great verve and ability. Kuttner's book is certain to be a touchstone of debate, if not reform, among public policy makers. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Challenging the Rhetoric of Market Purity
Robert Kuttner takes on free trader's myth, which perpetuates the need for pure markets and limited government. He points out how this ideology, which has brought about the deregulation of many industries and continually pressures for reduced government spending -- on infrastructure, research and development -- has seriously retarded wide economic growth. The result of the U.S. economic policy over the last thirty years has created widening income inequality, limited access to universalities such as health care and basic economic security, and a breakdown of democracy that was established to protect American citizens from private tyranny. He challenges the free-market ideologues that continually influence politics and law by preaching the rhetoric of whatever the outcome of the market must be optimal if it is the result of the operation of the market. Kuttner explains that the myth is allowed to perpetuate not do to economic problems, but because of a lack of political power on the part of most Americans.

Kuttner makes a fine argument through his comprehensive survey of most sectors of the American economy and the social effects of unregulated capital. Moreover, he points out that pure market efficiency is only possible in spot markets, and rarely occurs in reality. He further faults the free market ideologues on their notion that everything can be reduced to markets, citing that markets in certain items are contrary to public policy or unlikely to be produced due to the theory of free-riders, such as with public infrastructure. Kuttner explains that the corporate call for "pure markets," freed from regulatory constraints, is really a corporate call for liberation from its extra-market commitments to community and charity.

Kuttner's position for alleviating most of these problems that have arisen through the "pure market" myth is to increase the size and stance of government to a more socialist form similar to those of Western Europe, with a mixed economy. He calls for the government to intervene by taking over administration of extra-market commitments and universalities such as health care and pension benefits, and provide incentives to corporations that are socially responsible to their employees. Moreover, Kuttner seeks a redistribution of economic and political power through a return to a progressive tax system that weighs heavier on persons with greater wealth and income. He contends that Americans need to display the habits of a strong democracy in order to keep markets in their place.

After reading this book, it is obvious that Mr. Kuttner is very passionate about the subject for which he writes. My only critism of his work is that it is a bit cumbersome.

Marginal theory
This insightful, hilarious actually, treatment of free market mania and economics is important reading since there are few books around that can stand up to the legitimation tactics (Foucault stuff, if you recall) of the current theories. There are two questions, markets, and the theories that justify them, and/or make them worse than they need be because of theoretical obsessions that are really ideologies. Looking at the complex arcana in most economic treatises would leave most silenced in awe by the triumphs of reason, little suspecting that most of it is paper airplane category pulp fiction.
At least economists manage to allow some critique of their subject (delusions can cost real money). The field of evolutionary theory needs a book like this, but unfortunately the domination of the paradigm there is so total as to allow no dissent at all in normal channels and it in fact costs no one anything since it all happened long ago and good for the dog eat dog economy anyway (real money) to be deluded in that case.

A balanced form of capitalism
Robert Kuttner's "Everything for Sale" does a fine job of criticizing unregulated markets. The author takes a look at how markets price themselves in various industries and discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of the pricing model. Kuttner reveals that in most markets, the public good can be best served by both allowing the "virtues" of the market to work freely and by implementing regulations that correct whatever "limits" may be found in any particular market.

Kuttner also includes a moral dimension to his discussion, where appropriate. As we all know, markets respond only to money. But as a society, we have decided that it would be immoral, for example, to deny health care to seniors who can't afford to pay; consequently we have Medicare and Medicaid to fix this fundamental market flaw. Similarly, Kuttner shows us where pricing models in certain industries fail to take proper account of environmental, labor and social costs and suggests common-sense ways to correct them.

Opinions about the value of Kuttner's work vary widely. Laissez-faire idealogues have charged that the work amounts to "socialism" (see one of the reviews below). To judge for yourself, take a quick look at just one of the industries that Kuttner critiques in the book: airlines.

Kuttner calls the Reagan-era deregulation of the airline industry a "failed experiment". He points out the many problems that have occured since deregulation, including: declining levels of passenger service, airline consolidation and monopolistic pricing, loss of service to small cities, circuitous routing of flights, declining safety levels, etc. I think most people would agree with the accuracy of Kuttner's assessment and that indeed, air travel has become much less appealing today.

Kuttner's solution is to create a system of "regulated airline competition". Fares would be set at levels that would allow sufficient funds to be allocated to properly maintain planes, better serve passengers, restore service to under-served areas, increase competition, and so on. I found Kuttner's ideas to be reasonable -- not ideological -- in that they balance the needs of business and the public in a fair manner.

Of course, Kuttner wrote this in 1999. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 have only made a bad situation worse. Ironically, public funds were required to save the industry from insolvency. Therefore one could argue that Kuttner's recommendations for greater public accountability is far from unreasonable.

Again, the airline industry is just one example. Kuttner also has much to say that is useful about healthcare, energy, finance, labor, and more. As some of these industries currently seem to be imploding due to the excesses of laissez-faire (Enron, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, etc.), Kuttner's thoughts on the dangers of unregulated behavior prevalent in these industries appears to be more valuable now than ever.

In the current climate of investor skepticism and high-profile corporate fraud, tighter controls over business behavior may be just the medicine our economy needs to heal itself, restore investor confidence and ensure that businesses become more responsive to people's needs. In that light, I don't view Kuttner's ideas as socialistic at all; rather, I think Kuttner helps us preserve capitalism by curbing its most destructive tendencies. To that end, "Everything for Sale" can provide guidance to citizens and policymakers who may be pondering how we can build an economy that works for everyone, and I highly recommend it.

At last, an economist in touch with reality
If you really want to understand how the economy works to create winners and losers, this book is the place to start. It is a dangerous book. Four hundred pages overflowing with historic detail. No simplistic models or mathematical equations. No easy answers. Savy analyses of real industries that will be helpful to any stock market operator. The book will be attacked by ideologues and some of its proscriptions are debatable. But no intelligent person can come away from it without a clearer understanding of our business system and the compelling need for mature political solutions to contemporary economic problems.

A good counterpoint to the religion of the free market
Recently, the theologian Harvey Cox published a tongue in cheek article in the Atlantic Monthly comparing free market economics to a religious sect. Judging from the reaction to Kuttner's book, Cox's article was right on the money. The book's detractors make dismissive ad-hominem attacks on Kuttner's credentials, inaccurately portray the thrust and substance of his arguments to make them appear ludicrous, or simply assert that any one who is against pure free market ideology is no more than a heretical imbecile. One user's review here - the one that accuses Kuttner of "bloviating" - was lifted verbatim and without citation from the Reason magazine review of the book, hardly a non-biased source of information. It is a prime example of this form of criticism. Clearly its author and I did not read the same book.

I found Kuttner's book to be a reasoned argument against pure laissez faire. Kuttner intentionally aimed the book at the educated general reader and has hit that mark well. His intention was to present empirical examples of non-market interventions that produced better outcomes than market alternatives and he has done that. I challenge the free market critics of the book to address these examples, the book's substance, rather than its theology. ... Read more

Book Description

Updated and Expanded Edition

Winner of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order 1992, Named New Options Best Political Book


Economist Herman Daly and theologian John Cobb, Jr., demonstrate how conventional economics and a growth-oriented industrial economy have led us to the brink of environmental disaster, and show the possibility of a different future. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Ethical, Humanitarian, Communitarian, Sustainable

Dr. Herman E. Daly may well be a future Nobel Prize winner ...he is especially well-regarded in Norway and Sweden, where he has received prizes one step short of the Nobel. He is the author, co-author, or primary contributing editor of many books that fully integrate the disciplines of economics and ecology. I bought the three most recent for the purpose of selecting one to give out at my annual Global Information Forum. I ended up choosing this book to give away to hundreds, in part because it is available in paperback and is not a more expensive "trade" publication; and in part because it is strong in laying out specific ecological policy areas in the context of a strong theological or ethical perspective.

Of the three books I reviewed, (the newest "Ecological Economics: Principles and Applications", the oldest, updated, "Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics") the first, the text-book, is assuredly the most up-to-date and the most detailed. If you are buying only one book for yourself, that is the one that I recommend, because these are important issues and a detailed understanding is required with the level of detail that this book provided. It should, ideally, be read with "Valuing the Earth" first (see my separate review of that book, from the 1970's updated with 1990's material and new contributions), then this book ("For the Common Good"), and finally the text book as a capstone. But if you buy only one, buy the text book.

This is a second-edition work, updated from the 1984 first edition. I like it very much in part because it comes across as less academic and more common-sense in nature. Part One does a lovely job of tearing apart the fallacy of misplaced concreteness with respect to economics, the market, measuring economic success, the reduction of the human to a "good" that can be traded without regard to humanity and ethics and community, and land. Part Two gently introduces the reader to the many distinguished thought-leaders and practitioners who have gradually matured the discipline of economics to embrace humanity, community, and sustainability as non-negotiable realities that cannot be ignored.

Part Three, a major factor in my choosing this book over the others for broad pro-bono distribution, addresses the specifics of policies one element at a time: free trade versus community; population; land use; agriculture; industry; labor; income policies and taxes; from world domination to national security as an objective. Finally, Part Four, without being corny or preachy, describes the religious or ethical vision (I still think the Golden Rule works as a one-sentence definition of common interest).

An afterword on debt in relation to money and wealth is particularly timely as the American public foolishly allows the White House carpetbaggers to run up a $7 trillion deficit that our great-grandchilden will never be able to pay off if we continue is these evil and irresponsible directions, all in sharp opposition to the sensible and ethical constructs in this book.

Of the three books, none of which really duplicate one another in any negative way, albeit with overlaps, this is the second that I recommend for purchase, after the textbook.

Great ideas, will they work?
The opening criticisms of how economics is taught in today's university structure along with the inappropriate credence given this largely theoretical topic's conclusions are well-presented and well-received. Similarly, the general theme of the recommendations is presented very nicely. Basically, we must focus on more local goods, more self-sufficiency in communities. The authors take the time and care to address such technicalities as what exactly they mean by communities. In general their care is a strength of the book, though perhaps more of the details could have been put in appendices or footnotes rather than disturbing the flow of the text. My main complaint is that no EXAMPLES are given--real-life attempts, either successful or failed, at some of their recommendations. Without examples, all their suggestions seem unsubstantiated. A lengthy but decent read, with a nice underlying philosophy.

Humane and incisive
Because of the large number of issues and sometimes conflicting solutions proposed, this is a difficult book to classify. Key, however, is the authors' profound refusal to subordinate the common good of the community to the god of the free market. This does not mean the elimination of markets where they have proven effective and non-destructive. It does mean keeping their operation within strict limits, so that people can regain a sense of community and a sustainable environment. Much of the book is taken up with showing the limits of market theory and practice, and in that sense should be studied by all with an interest in America's secular religion. Proposed solutions are decidedly non-ideological and largely eclectic. Both the left and the right should find points of agreement. All in all, this is an invaluable guide to many of the planet's most pressing problems and should be required reading for college undergraduates.

Thought-Provoking in Every Way
To dismiss this book as leftist ranting or environmental hysteria is simply wrong -- and I would bet that the reviewers offering these opinions did not read the whole book. This book offers a stunning combination of ecological economics and philospohical critique. It is this dual focus that helps it avoid the dryness of most economics books and the abstractness of most environmental treatises. At bottom, Daly and Cobb are pushing for more human and manageable SCALE: meaningful work in more localized economies. Only by creating these smaller units, where entire processes can be grasped and influenced, can people change the way they think and live. The book crescendos with a discussion of the human prospect itself -- whether or not our species is on an inherently self-destructive trajectory, thanks to our very powers of ingenuity and adaptabilty. This is a book that should produce a profound change in the reader; but only if it is read slowly, carefully, and thoughtfully.

Excellent critique Global-Capitalism -- good/bad solutions.
Agrarian Localist that I am, with roots in the cultural and political Right -- Daly was refreshing and often challenging from the 'New and Improved Left. He brilliantly and repeatedly shows the 'fallacy of misplaced concreteness'-- that is the dubious use of logical abstractions which supposedly lead to good conclusions. NOT! In logic, it is similar to 'the undistributed middle'-- or in laymen's terms -- there is yet far too much we simply don't know to conclude 'this'. Those pegging him a traditional UN Internationalists look like blind Libertarians who are simply dead wrong, and didn't read carefully. Daly is a modest Decentralists/Federalists' in calling for a 'return to the Local'. His call is for a federalism with far more attention to Local and Regional markets and development than we've had in this country since Lincoln. Yet Daly still uncomfortablly allows for some heiarchialism at national and international levels. Suprisingly, he uncritically buys all the status-quo environmental hysteria as 'Fact', indeed 'wild facts' he calls them. Thus, you have a mixd book -- full of brilliant and insightful critique -- and sullied by a good bit of carried-over authoritarian leftism. David E. Rockett ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Good Reference for Geotechnical Engineering Applications
The chapters in this book are written by academics from prestigious engineering colleges and universities. It is useful both for the professional, practicing engineer, and for the college student. There are references following each chapter, but no practice problems, for those looking for example calculations.

The information that is covered concerns material in the geotechincal field that applies to waste disposal practices. The majority of the information will help an engineer design a landfill. However, there is material on site invesitigation and an overview of remediation technologies. ... Read more

Book Description

When Corporations Rule the World explains how economic globalization has concentrated the power to govern in global corporations and financial markets and detached them from accountability to the human interest. It documents the devastating human and environmental consequences of the successful efforts of these corporations to reconstruct values and institutions everywhere on the planet to serve their own narrow ends. It also reveals why and how millions of people are acting to reclaim their political and economic power from these elitist forces and presents a policy agenda for restoring democracy and rooting economic power in people and communities. This new edition is expanded with new information, including a new preface, a new introduction, a new chapter on The Global Democracy Movement, and a new epilogue. ... Read more

Reviews (49)

Thank you David Korten
No book or university course has provided me such a concise description with compelling examples, measures and details of the workings and history of the global economy.

The title could have been simply "Corporations Rule the World".

First and foremost, the book provides a foundation for thinking about sustainable business, ones' role in society, day-to-day habits and our collective need to create a future for our children.

Take note, however, that the book is worth a read in a very pragmatic and personal way, as a primer for investors.

I was given the book on Aug 17 '98 and finished it by the 22nd. In recent years, I had placed all of my hard earned cash, and some inheritence from hardworking grandparents -- for convenience sake -- in the hands of fund managers dealing in "blue chip" companies in the global equity markets. Understanding something from Kortens' book, and his apt description of the world now around us...I sold all of those equities and funds on the 24'th. The markets collapsed on the 25'th. I'll go back to directing my own investments with the cash I've saved -- thanks to a timely reading of Korten's informative book.

Kortens' work is as brilliant as a Hitchcock movie -- providing space for the reader to fill in the "gaps", to "get" his global picture in a personal way. Korten avoids confronting readers with the simple statement that WE ARE corporations. We ARE government and we ARE civil society -- however healthy or sick...

Having said that, Korten's book is entertaining and frightening because he is fact-based and truthful.

Unlike other Amazon.com book reviewers, I generally accept and enjoy pondering Korten's ideas.

I volunteer and commit to spend my rare time on this planet to forward Korten's kind of agenda for people-centered development. There's no point having kids and no way to sleep at night, without wisdom and change.

I'll invest in new forms of global business opportunity, based on Korten's wisdom and call for change. I'll start by changing myself, to make my actions consistent with my words, to make my words consistent with such wisdom as Korten's and to make my business work towards a healthy tomorrow.

Thank you, David Korten.

When Corporations Rule the World
Author David C. Korten addresses some of the main issues affecting the global environment today. In my opinion, anyone who considers him/herself an environmentally conscious person should read this book to broaden his or her sense of environmental thinking. Korten touches upon the issues and concerns that have driven the thoughts and arguments of many people in the past that are concerned with the future. These are such things as human population numbers increasing at such a high rate, which Paul Erlich has written about in the past, to a new line of thinking dominated by the notion that corporations, and more importantly money, is at the root of all environmental problems.
He mentions that only the rich countries can focus on economic growth. I think there is a lot of truth to that. If you can put yourself in a poor and developing country and see what they see and do, and do what they do to survive, there is no way that your main concern is going to be economic growth when it is difficult just to put food on the table. Korten gets at the root of the problem by blaming corporations that are just seeking money. Many of the big global corporations today make most of the pollution today, especially in developed nations like those of Europe and the U.S. These developed and commercialized corporations produce their excessive amount of waste and force underprivileged nations and environmentally concerned citizens to clean it up because it is more economically advantageous to do so.
The leaders of these corporations are also in a tight spot. The CEOs of these big companies are put there for only one reason and that is to further the company by making as much money as they can for the board members and stockholders. If these CEOs fail to come up with new and innovative ways to make money they get fired and are out of luck. In a way the positions of the CEOs and citizens of poorer countries show an unusual similarity. The CEOs are considered some of the wealthiest people in the world but in their civil society they are doing what they have to in order to keep their job and maintain a certain way of life. The citizens of developing countries care about the environment but, in their situations, it is one of the only expendable things they have access to. They are also doing what they have to in order to survive in their respective civil society.
So if environmental problems like deforestation and overpopulation are to be solved, these two very different, but somewhat similar, civil societies must come to each other's aid and work together. Right now the only thing that is really happening is that poor nations are using up their natural resources and destroying ecosystems in order to supply companies like Chiquita Bananas with enough product to make a profit. While doing this, the workers of the poor nations barely get enough money to live off of and often times are forced to make their children work at a young age in order to eat. The idea of globalization is often thought of as a bad thing because people say that the rich countries are forcing their way of life on to others. That is true, but if globalization can be changed to mean that the entire globe works together to solve the environmental drama facing this planet today, it is a step in the right direction towards a healthy Mother Earth.

The Long Road to Democracy
By far, the most comprehensive, well-researched, incisive documentation of systemic corporate abuse available. When Corporations Rule is not simply a litany of profligate corporate excess, though. Korten explains the dysfunctional logic of our system, outlines the horrendous consequences for community and environment, and provides clear, cogent plans of action to create real democracy and awaken culturally.

We always harangue socialism as an "extreme ideology," but as Korten makes clear capitalism is also an extreme ideology. Socialism concentrates power in a centralized government, creating unsupportable social and environmental costs. Capitalism concentrates power in huge private institutions (the modern multinational corporation), which also have enormous social and environmental costs. Both advance the concentration of rights of ownership without limit, to the exclusion of the needs and rights of the many who own virtually nothing. And as Korten shows, the impoverished many are growing.

As of 1992, the richest 20 percent of the global population received as much as 82.7 percent of the total world income. The poorest 20 percent received 1.4 percent. These figures indicate growing economic inequality, which is has become even more pronounced in the last decade. In 1998, the world's top three billionaires totaled more assets than the combined GNP of all the least developing countries and their 600 million people. Of the world's 6 billion people, 2.8 - that is, nearly half - were living on less than 2 dollars a day. Some 1.2 billion of that half lived on less than a dollar a day.

Inside America - the global economic trendsetter - this growing inequality that we see between nations is mirrored in microcosm. In fact, inequality and hardship is even more exaggerated in the Land of the Free. The wealthiest 10 percent now own almost 90 percent of all business equity, 88.5 percent of all bonds, and 89.3 percent of all stocks. In 1999, the total compensation of U.S. corporate CEOs was 475 times the average production worker's pay; and 29 percent of all U.S. workers were in jobs paying poverty level wages, defined as an hourly wage too low to meet the needs of a family of four. Moreover, with each new mega-merger and corporate takeover, more capital, power and control are concentrated in these already mammoth institutions. What ever happened to the anti-trust laws?

These are just a few of the statistics sited in the book, but When Corporations Rule offers more than statistical analysis. With laser precision, Korten essays economic and political history, uncovering the reasons for these global trends: including the illusion of growth, the loss of governmental oversight in the affairs of corporations, the rise of the Newtonian mechanical worldview and its subsequent devaluation of spiritual values, etc. His critique of globalization is absolutely stunning: including the effects of NAFTA, and the general policies of the WTO, the WB and the IMF. Finally, his call for localism, activism, spiritualism and an ecological awakening are inspiring and timely.

Not a stone goes uncovered. The failure of development strategies for the Third World (his stated specialty), critical discussion of traditional economic theory, the rise of PR, global poverty, currency speculation and corporate raiding, downsizing, contracting labor, automating, the loss of the small farm, the effects of Walmart and the like, ecological collapse, the coming Ecological Revolution, sustainability, socially responsible investment, systems theory, urban design, history of the current globalization protest movement, a detailed agenda for democratic change - these and so many other important issues are weaved together in a remarkable argument that will shock, sober and move you. I cannot think of a more important book for those who still have faith in the global economy. This troubled planet needs more Kortens. Bravo!

Pulling the props from under the propaganda
This very succinct and very clear account of global capitalism run wild does the job where most leftist accounts of their subject too often suffer addled brain syndrome due to Hegelian brain rot. All it takes is a few pokes. Gosh, I had no idea the limited liability joint stock corporation was a problem, like the now passe institution of monarchy. The regime of mass media is so constant in its effect that we are already filled with sound bite refutations of the obvious facts of the case. And conventional economists are usually in recovery from their neo-classical college degree. At first sight the treatment appears lightweight and the text doesn't seem to amount to much, but within a few pages the relatively loose argument does its job. Take as a vitamin supplement for couch potato syndrome, or the daily newsspeak. Nice.

It's not When, they do. Good overview of the concerns.
The fact that transnational corporations and their agendas have come to dominate cultural, political, and economic life on a global scale can hardly be disputed. These powerful corporations have used national governments and government-created international bodies to create a legislative and institutional regime that accedes to and actively promotes and implements a "free-market" ideology. This book is largely concerned with detailing the tremendous costs to the political, economic, and social fabric of the entire global community as corporations have become ever more capable under this ideological regime in extracting wealth and generating huge profits on a worldwide basis. The author sees poverty, social and political disintegration, and environmental degradation as the main consequences of this global corporate ascendance.

The ability of corporations to penetrate the political and cultural sectors of our society is hardly a late twentieth century phenomenon. Despite the founders' efforts to contain corporations by explicit and revocable state charters, emerging industrialists in the post-Civil War era became powerful enough to sway legislators and the judiciary to act in their behalf. Not only did corporations generally gain rights to perpetuity, but the Supreme Court declared corporations to be legal persons entitled to the same rights as ordinary citizens, in addition to limited liability. By the late 1920s capitalism had largely emerged triumphant over worker and community interests. Consumerism was instilled as the only legitimate avenue for realizing individualized "freedom."

According to the author, a form of democratic pluralism existed among the civil, governmental, and market sectors of society in the post-WWII era, but any such sectorial accommodation was mostly an aberration that came about only because of the necessity to solve the twin crises of the Great Depression (caused by corporate-led economic excess) and WWII. Any social accord that may have existed was shredded as corporations, backed by the Reagan administration, renewed their assault on the working class and relentlessly pursued self-interested global strategies. Over the last two decades, middle-class jobs have been lost, median pay has stagnated, and austerity has been imposed on the less fortunate as a profound upward redistribution of wealth and income has occurred.

Globally, the structural adjustment measures forced upon developing nations by the World Bank and the IMF to qualify for loans, ripped the fabric of those societies and have actually increased indebtedness to First World bankers. Trade agreements and administrative bodies, such as the NAFTA and the WTO, are designed to eliminate local restrictions on investments by international firms and barriers to the free movement of goods between nations. The freedom for capital to move freely among nations has also fueled rampant financial speculation unrelated to productive investment. Unconscionably, American taxpayers have been forced to bailout those engaged in extracting wealth from the developing world.

Free market ideology is used to justify the gutting of the social and legal structures of nations. But it is a disingenuous view. Free market activities posited by Adam Smith involve local, individual economic actors, none of whom have the power to control the marketplace. Unregulated market activities by huge economic entities can result in market coercion. For example, monopolistic firms can externalize costs, that is, they are powerful enough to force societies to pay for the social and environmental side-effects of their activities. For example, labor and environmental regulations are often ignored with impunity with society picking up the pieces.

The impact of corporations acting as legal persons cannot be overemphasized. Corporations overwhelm actual citizen political participation and free speech by the extent and intensity of their political lobbying and media controlling efforts. Corporations and the rich, in a form of legalized bribery, basically fund political campaigns. They also heavily sway public opinion through public relations front organizations, conservative think-tanks, and the control of the major media. The dependency of the media on advertising dollars virtually guarantees presentation of views that are compatible with corporate interests, not to mention the fact that the huge media empires are themselves transnational corporations with no interest in harming broader corporate interests.

As the author indicates, corporations have largely "colonized" the common culture. Television is the main media outlet for the inculcation of business-friendly values, which emphasizes the avid pursuit of consumption. Even political activity has become mostly the marketing of pleasing candidates. The message is incessantly and subtly delivered that a free market system is self running and stabilizing and needs little or no political interference. Of course, the reality is far different. Corporations have infiltrated government at all levels with the sole purpose of ensuring that governments take an active role in supporting the corporate agenda, or pro-business regulation. In addition, governments are left to deal with the unprofitable aspects of society or side-effects of corporate actions. The net effect is a democracy hardly worthy of the name.

The author's principal approach to this regime of corporate hegemony is to call for a rollback to self-sustaining local communities. Such recommended measures as land reform (breaking up corporate farms) and urban agriculture seem almost quaint. The author confuses his message of a return to pre-consumption-dominated life by calling for high tech solutions, such as video-phones, to link local communities. Where does he think high tech products come from other than corporate development labs? A hard-hitting analysis seems to be getting waylaid by some fuzzy spirituality.

But the most practical approach is contained in the book. Free market propaganda has to be countered and a regime of regulating big business through governmental controls must be instituted. Is there any hope for this? The Seattle protest and other citizen demonstrations show that the democracy-killing initiatives of the WTO have not gone unnoticed. In addition, it has been claimed that 25 percent of the population belongs to a cultural grouping called "Cultural Creatives," who can be expected to oppose insensitive corporate agendas. And the author takes no note of minority interests that are generally opposed to the conservative business agenda. The author wants to see a cultural transformation, but a heightened awareness of class will be needed to combat the class warfare being perpetrated on the non-elites of the world. ... Read more

Book Description

The message of The Hydrogen Economy is resoundingly simple: The earth is depleting its oil reserves and even the most generous estimates show oil reserves peaking in about forty years. The specter of global warming and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the oil-rich regions of the earth worsen the problem considerably. The answer, asserts Rifkin, is to embrace a new energy source that is just now gaining public attention: hydrogen.

This abundant element, found everywhere on earth including in air and water, can be transformed, using sustainable methods, into a potentially limitless form of clean-burning fuel. But this potential will founder unless we act now to create the necessary global infrastructure before the factors above overtake us. If we embrace this momentous opportunity, Rifkin says, we will also be able to reinvent the global economy as one in which an inexpensive energy grid provides affordable, efficient fuel for virtually everyone on earth. If we fail, our current economic regime-built exclusively on fossil fuels-will collapse.As the concept of a hydrogen-based future grows in the news, The Hydrogen Economy will lead the way. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

The coming storm
This book paints a pretty scary view of the future, but let's remember that gasoline powered cars have not been around all that long, and the fact that they might not be around forever shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. I thought that the division of 175 pages for the problem and 75 pages for the solution about summed up the issue. We need to start putting some real effort (read money) into this so we can begin to pull ourselves out of the middle east. With respect to comments that hydrogen needs to be separated from water, and is not a primary energy source in and of itself... of course, but that doesn't change the fact that it will become our only choice, and if one reads past the dust jacket, they will see that is addressed in the book. Overall, this is chocked full of statistics, yet somehow seems to be 1% more like an infomercial than a literary work, but it is something that everybody should drop their nintendos and read. Maybe it should be a required read in school as well.

Most Interesting Book I've Read In Years
We're running out of oil and other fossil fuels faster than most people realize. Peak oil production might occur in 10 years or less. Then, prices will go up dramatically causing another worldwide recession. Middle Eastern countries will once again hold the world hostage, as they own most oil reserves. Global warming will continue to get worse as more fossil fuels are burned. Despite this gloomy picture, the author provides a "silver bullet" solution--hydrogen power. Hydrogen is clean; it contains no carbon and thus produces no carbon dioxide; it's inexhaustible; it's renewable; and it's getting cheaper to produce. With hydrogen fuel cell technologies coming on strong, each of us can become both producer and consumer of hydrogen, breaking the stranglehold of big oil companies and unstable Arab governments. Hopefully, the switchover to hydrogen power will occur before we exhaust our oil and gas reserves and have to increase the amount of coal we burn and the harmful acid rain that inevitably follows. The author has presented a coherent argument for hydrogen and a hopeful vision for our energy future.

Well Written and Horrifying
Rifkin's Hydrogen Economy, although short on scientific evidence to back up some of his claims, paints a truly terrifying portriat of the next thirty years; one that will inevitably come true if we do not embrace new energy sources. Buy this book for the first 125 pages, and check out "tomorrow's energy" for a great look at the emerging HEW. Rifkin's thesis on the Rise and Fall of civilizations and its relation to energy needs is very relevant to todays efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan and leaves one with an entirely different outlook on aspects of human civilization that seem to be commonplace and immutable. A must-read.

Energy for Rifkin's hydrogen economy?
I'm probably not qualified to write a review - I haven't read the book, nor do I intend to. But I have read the 30 reviews (8 of them identical?) on this Amazon web page (Everyone together: a big "bravo" for Amazon). I read those reviews looking for one phrase: nuclear energy. I don't expect to find it in Rifkin, but I am surprised that the absence of that phrase was not noted by even a single reviewer.

Briefly, wind mills and solar cells will simply not suffice to provide the energy needed by our industrial civilization. Even with hydrogen as a storage medium, as accurately noted by many of the reviewers. Nuclear fission is the only source of energy comparable in quantity and availability to coal, oil and natural gas. It already provides 20% of the electricity used in the US. and 17% in the world; it is clean and competitive, it produces a very small volume of waste which can be more easily managed than the waste (CO2) of fossil fuels. Well designed, well managed and well maintained nuclear power is just a safe as fossil power, in terms of loss of life and public health, if not safer.

Readers would be well advised to look for solutions to the energy problem in
Megawatts and Megatons, by Garwin and Charpak,
The Environmental Case for Nuclear Power by Robert C. Morris,
Nuclear Power, Villain or Victim? by Max W. Carbon,
Nuclear Energy by Walter Scheider.

For anyone who reads French: L'Nucleaire Avenir de l'Ecologie? by Bruno Comby.

Not recommended is Tomorrow's Energy by Peter Hoffmann; Hoffmann dismisses nuclear energy with a quotation which antedates the
Chernobyl disaster, which, by the way, was rather less disastrous than many would have us believe.

Criticizing what they haven't read
I just want to correct one recurrent misunderstanding of Rifkin's thesis. I note that several one-star reviews of this book included a caveat to the effect that the reviewers had not even read the book. They go on to point out that since energy is required to free hydrogen in the first place, hydrogen is not an energy source but at best a form of stored energy, and not yet a terribly efficent form at that. (One reviewer from Florida even got his/her one-star review entered mulitple times! Were each of these identical entries counted against the over-all rating of this book??) Having heard Rifkin interviewed on the energy source/storage issue, I believe that these one-star reviewers have missed the point. Rifkin is advocating for hydrogen precisely as the future's medium of energy storage. Say the energy is initally gathered through solar panels. You need a way to store the surplus. Use the surplus photo-electricity to free some hydrogen from water, store the hydrogen. The energy sources of tomorrow are solar, wind, etc. The battery of tomorrow that makes these sources viable, in as much as civilization depends on the ability to accrue a surplus, is hydrogen. ... Read more

Book Description

Ecotourism is defined as "responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people." Many see it as a panacea for developing nations-a source of clean development that can bring wealth to rural communities while simultaneously helping to preserve pristine environments. But has the reality lived up to the promise? And is that even possible.

In Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, Martha Honey presents an overview of the ecotourism industry and a first-hand account of ecotourism projects around the world. Based on interviews and visits to ecotourist hotspots in Latin America and Africa, she offers a vivid description and analysis of projects that meet the goals and standards of ecotourism as well as those that claim to be ecotourism but in reality fall short. She presents in-depth case studies of seven destinations (Galapagos, Costa Rica, Cuba, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa) that serve to illustrate the real world of ecotourism. For each, she offers an ecotourism scorecard, grading it on its adherence to the enumerated principles of ecotourism and sustainable development.

Honey addresses topics such as the evolution and principles of ecotourism, where profits go, and the mechanics and politics of the tourist industry as a whole. The case studies highlight the economic and cultural impacts of tourism development on indigenous populations as well as on ecosystems. Honey also surveys current thinking and policies of environmental groups, and looks at how political situations, human rights records, and natural resource management influence travel decisions.

Ecotourism and Sustainable Development provides a unique and compelling look at the promise and pitfalls of ecotourism. It is the only such account of worldwide ecotourism available today, and is an important guide for students and researchers involved with international development, geography, or tourism, as well as for anyone interested in becoming a more environmentally sensitive traveller. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Highly recommended, most detailed overview available
The release of Martha Honey's book investigating ecotourism marks the end of a 10-year era of gestation and growth in the field. Honey, who began research on the book in the early 1990s, does genuine investigative journalism on the many issues haunting the ecotourism field, from its definition to its sustainability, and provides honest assessments. This book offers the most detailed overview of the evolution of the ecotourism field available today. Highly recommended for ecotourism professionals, foundation officers, bank and multilateral investment specialists and others deeply involved in applying ecotourism as a sustainable development tool, this book is an advanced analysis. In the academic world, it will provide invaluable background information for all students performing research on the issues of ecotourism and sustainable development. Ecotourism and Sustainable Development gives context and history, but it does not offer applied solutions. On a philosophical note, Honey states that ecotourism should be "transforming the way modern, conventional tourism is conducted." This is a point of healthy debate within the field, but not a universally accepted goal. Ecotourism's role as a political instrument of change on the international scene is not its strong point, as Honey points out. But should this be the measure by which the ecotourism field is judged? Honey's book offers a wide variety of fascinating points for debate, and provides an excellent baseline of discussion for all those involved in the development of the ecotourism field. However, less sophisticated readers should be warned that Honey's assumptions need to be carefully debated, not simply accepted.

Megan Epler Wood, President, The Ecotourism Society.

Highly-recommended investigation of the ecotourism industry
Martha Honey's experience as an investigative reporter serves her well in this exploration of ecotourism. She asks probing questions that traditional travel writers would not, and even describes why this type of journalism is so rare in the travel industry. (Because travel writers are usually the guests of the hotels and agencies they are reviewing, and they are afraid to bite the hands that feed them.). The reader learns about the "greenwashing" that some segments of the travel industry use to mislead travelers with the best intentions, for example the Green Globe awards in which companies can "earn" a green globe award just for signing up with the program and paying the $200 fee! But Honey is not completely unconvinced that true ecotourism can exist. In her seven chapters on individual receptor countries, she describes ecotourism projects that were designed by conservationists with conservation rather than personal profit as a motive. This book provides quantitative and qualitative information, and its fluid prose is a pleasure to read. The book is useful for both the lay traveler and those in the travel industry striving to offer responsible ecotourism opportunities.

Not so good
Disappointing tome with numerous factual mistakes and a lack of understanding of those the author is interviewing. The book is far too dependent on paper sources and fairly clueless on the ground.

First-hand account of ecotourism projects around the world
Martha Honey argues that the responsibility of ecotourism operators stretches far beyond their physical impact on the land. She argues that real ecotourism must involve seven vital and interrelated characteristics: travel to nature destinations; minimizing negative environmental impact; building environmental awareness; direct financial benefits for conservation; financial benefits and empowerment for local people; the respect of local culture; and the support of human rights and democracy. Her book is an excellent account of worldwide ecotourism.

Snoozer
I cannot believe I paid money for this book. We need information about ecotourism, particularly in the developing world. But the author shows no first-hand knowledge. She includes a lot of reports and obviously attends many policy meetings. But outside of the classroom, I do not think this book is of much use. ... Read more

Book Description