Ecological Principles for Economic Development

by Raymond F. Dasmann and John P. Milton

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471196061
• ISBN13: 9780471196068
• Release Date: January 1973
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Pioneering Work on Ecological Sustainability

This pioneering book, published in 1973, was one of the very earliest contributions to the field of ecology and global economic development. In the mid-1960s, John P. Milton designed and co-convened a historic research project (and its 1968 summary conference) on Ecology and International Development. From 1965 through 1972 this research project studied, compiled and gathered together over 200 case studies with the help of numerous scientists on the ecological, social and economic impacts of a wide variety of developmental projects from all over the world. This historic gathering was compiled in a 1070 page book entitled, "The Careless Technology: Ecology & International Development," published by Doubleday's Natural History Press in 1972. This pioneering volume provided the scientific data on environmental and ecological impacts that allowed many countries to initiate environmental policies for their countries. The hard scientific data also provided a powerful argument for creating new international environmental policies at the historic 1972 United Nations Conference on the Environment, held in Stockholm. The book and its case studies also provided strong support for the initiation of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the creation of an environmental division in the World Bank. Immediately after the publication of "The Careless Technology" book, Milton gathered together a new team to derive the lessons from his nine-year case study research project. This ecological principles book contains the condensed ecological wisdom of all the case study work that went before. Dasmann, Milton & Freeman distilled an extraordinary set of ecological principles, carefully designed to be understood by economists, politicians, development specialists, regional planners, and all those leaders responsible for setting national and international policy. To the best of my knowledge, this was the very first time a clear handbook on global and local ecological sustainability was produced for those responsible for development. At that point in 1973, it was published and translated into a number of languages and became an important guide for many who were interested in reforming economic development, policies, procedures and goals. Clearly, if our leaders had followed the advice in this book, presented at that time, the global climate change issues and massive environment problems of today, would have been greatly diminished. The principles outlined in this "Ecological Principles for Economic Development" book are still urgently applicable today to the challenge of creating sustainable economies, communities and national/international development policies. I highly recommend this book for study by corporate leaders, economists, planners and all those who are striving to create truly sustainable societies and institutions. These words were originally penned 36 years ago, and ignored. We have the opportunity to make a better choice, today. Bu