Sumi Krishna. Environmental Politics: People's Lives and Development Choices.

Malik, Afia

Sumi Krishna. Environmental Politics: People's Lives and Development Choices. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1996. 303 pages. Hardbound. Indian Rupees 350.00.

In less than two decades, environmental advocacy has matured very rapidly, from protest against environmental damage to questions about the character and course of development. This thought-provoking book is an in-depth inquiry into why Indian environmentalism has not yet had a greater impact on people's lives or on development policy.

The book is structured in three parts. In Part I, the stress is on the heterogeneity of the environmental movement as it encompasses diversity of views and ideological positions. Different environmental approaches and strategies are examined. In Part II, the author challenges several ideological assumptions relating to environmental issues and questions the effectiveness of environmentalism in dealing with such complex problems as population growth, technological choice, and conflict over the use of resources. Finally, Part III, examines how the rhetoric and the myths of environmentalism evolve. It is recommended that environmentalism should be directed towards a broader agenda aimed at progressive changes in the structure of society. The argument that environmentalism should extend the range of choice to the poor is also highlighted.

This book will be extremely useful for institutions, development policy planners, professionals, and researchers dealing with environmental issues.

Prepared by Afia Malik, Staff Economist, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad.