Published Under the Garamond Imprint
The social and political contest over the meaning of the term
"sustainable development" is vital. Those who win will dictate the
agenda and the policies around future environmental issues. This
book proposes a radical definition of sustainability, reclaiming
the word from the rhetoric typically used by corporations and
governments to facilitate unrelenting economic growth and the
notion of "business as usual."
The authors base their approach on the classic notion of the
"commons." This key concept in environmental circles traditionally
refers to commonly held, or shared, rights and property such as
water, air, and other resources necessary for human survival. In
this book the idea of the commons is also extended to include what
the authors call the "social commons," encompassing areas such as
community knowledge and culture.
The authors argue that the social commons should be
democratically controlled, and at all levels of ecological reality
from the local to the global. Here the "commons" are seen as
operating in a spatially fluid manner, across not only geographical
boundaries, but also human generations and ecological timescapes.
The authors stress the complex interrelations that exist at local,
regional, national, continental, and global levels of human
organization and observe that there can be no simple solution
confined to one particular scale of action. They critique advocates
of an exclusive concentration on localism just as much as those who
argue it is enough simply to write global treaties. This book seeks
to reclaim public power against private interests, thus creating an
empowered, sustainable ecological community.
Academics please note that this is a title classified as having
a restricted allocation of complimentary copies. Restricted titles
remain available to adopters and to academics very likely to adopt
in the coming semester. When adoption possibilities are less strong
and/or further in the future, academics are requested to purchase
the title, with the proviso that UTP Higher Education will happily
refund the purchase price if the book is indeed adopted.
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