Bigg, T. (ed.) (2004). Survival for a Small Planet: The Sustainable Development Agenda. London: Earthscan. ISBN: 1-84 407-077-8, 359 pp. Paperback: UK £22.95.
Reviwed by: Richard Perkins, School of Geography, University of Plymouth, UK.
The past decade has witnessed an outpouring of books, monographs and texts on the subject of sustainable development. Indeed, hardly a week seems to pass before yet another title hits the bookshelves. Survival for a Small Planet joins this growing body of literature. Yet this edited collection of 27 chapters, written largely by leading figures from various environment and development NGOs, distinguishes itself in two important respects.
The first is in its breadth of coverage. Unlike many books on sustainability, which focus on a small number of (often predictable) themes, the scope of Survival for a Small Planet is truly wide-ranging. Chapters deal with topics as diverse as finance, national sustainable development strategies, eco-agriculture and pro-poor tourism. The individual chapters are organized into five thematic sections: (1) ‘Global governance’; (2) ‘National and local governance’; (3) ‘Equity and sustainable development – towards new ways of working?’; (4) ‘Poverty reduction and natural resource management’; and (5) ‘Markets and sustainable development’. While the diversity of content might at first appear perplexing, the chapters nevertheless share a common, unifying theme, each focusing on the challenges of achieving more sustainable forms of development. The focus of many of the contributions is skewed towards developing countries with issues of poverty, inequality and capability featuring prominently. This is no bad thing, however, particularly given the ‘marginalization’ of developing-country issues and agendas in many mainstream texts.
A second distinguishing feature of Survival for a Small Planet is its practical orientation. Not only do the chapters analyse the nature, context and scope of critical issues in sustainable development – they also offer insight, ideas and guidance about potential actions and strategies for advancing progress towards sustainability. The prescriptions are informative, yet at the same time, avoid becoming overly detailed. This practical dimension is an especially welcome feature of the book and no doubt broadens its appeal.
The contributions to Survival for a Small Planet are instructive, competently written and tightly focused. Readers are served up with concise, well-informed and readily understood chapters on a broad-based range of topics central to the contemporary sustainability challenge. Yet this does not mean that Survival for a Small Planet is for everyone. Undergraduate students requiring a step-by-step introduction to sustainable development should look elsewhere. There is little generic material here on, for example, the origins and principles of sustainability. Moreover, the orientation of the book towards developing countries means that it will be less useful to readers predominantly concerned with sustainability in developed economies, although there is still plenty of interest in this regard here.
Survival for a Small Planet will, however, appeal to those requiring a wide-ranging, solutions-focused introduction to critical issues in sustainable development. More specifically, it will appeal to individuals with an interest in developing countries, natural resource management, and governance for sustainability. This includes, amongst others, undergraduate and graduate students of development studies, geography and environmental science. It also includes practitioners in non-governmental and governmental sectors. Unlike some other recent texts on sustainability, Survival for a Small Planet has a very contemporary feel. As such, it is particularly well suited to individuals wishing to bring themselves ‘up to speed’ on the post-World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) agenda.
The book is not without its shortcomings. Many (but not all) of the analyses are implicitly left-leaning. A handful of authors also descend into the overtly polemic. Indeed, a somewhat uncritical, pro-sustainability rhetoric underpins a sizeable number of the writings. Finally, despite the broad coverage, there are several critical topics which are poorly served by the contributors. Issues of technology transfer and capacity building, for example, receive surprisingly little attention.
Yet these criticisms should not detract too much from what is otherwise a highly commendable book. The editor, Tom Bigg, has done an excellent job of compiling a range of authoritative, instructive and timely contributions. Weighing in at over 350 pages, and bundled with a CD-ROM featuring civil society documents from the WSSD, Survival for a Small Planet is good value at £22.95 (US$ 32.00). It would serve well as a reference text, both for academics, students and practitioners alike. No doubt, the reviewer will be using the text in the future, and will be recommending his students to do the same.