Book Reviews

Abstract

A review essay on books by: John W. Bennett, Human Ecology as Human Behavior: Essays in Environmental and Development Anthropology (New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1993); Garrett Hardin, Living within Limits: Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos (New York: Oxford U Press, 1993); & Marc M. Lindenberg, The Human Development Race: Improving the Quality of Life in Developing Countries (San Francisco: Instit for Contemporary Studies, 1993 [see listings in IRPS No. 86]). Bennett & Hardin present pessimistic assessments of the future of human-environment relations, & propose improvements designed to control degradation of the environment. Rather than linking generalities about human behavior to the environment, it is argued that human-environment issues ought to be discussed in historic, cultural, & economic contexts. Stating that population growth causes environmental problems & poverty is an oversimplification that leads to misguided solutions, Lindenberg highlights the economic & political policies & processes involved in enhancing the quality of life by introducing a human development performance index. Education & health care investments have positive implications for development & limiting population, & consequently a positive effect for the environment. All three works raise the crucial issue of the international dimension in understanding human-environment relations. 44 References. C. Whitcraft