World without end: economics, environment, and sustainable development

If world poverty is to be reduced, businesses and governments must continue to pursue economic growth. But growth cannot continue without attention to the environment. This book explores how growth can become environmentally sustainable. It shows that a balance between economic growth and care of the environment is needed in all nations -- especially poor ones -- to prevent environmental degradation, which results in lost economic output and endangers people's health. For example, erosion of soil depletes resources for fuel and fodder and causes food output to decline. The authors address a wide variety of subjects ranging from how to measure sustainable development, to the relation between population and environment, to market paradigms and pollution, to terms of trade and the environment. They use a great deal of material, such as background papers and research conducted for the World Bank, that has not been readily available to the public. And they present a more complete synthesis of the literature relevant for policymaking than has been given in any other book.