Living well now and in the future : why sustainability matters /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Curren, Randall R., author.
Imprint:	Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, [2017]
Description:	xxiii, 282 pages ; 24 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Sustainability -- Moral and ethical aspects. Democracy -- Moral and ethical aspects. Justice -- Moral and ethical aspects. Interpersonal relations -- Moral and ethical aspects. Democracy -- Moral and ethical aspects. Interpersonal relations -- Moral and ethical aspects. Justice -- Moral and ethical aspects.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11006134

Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:	Metzger, Ellen, author.
ISBN:	9780262036009 0262036002
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	Most people acknowledge the profound importance of sustainability, but few can define it. We are ethically bound to live sustainably for the sake of future generations, but what does that mean? In this book Randall Curren, a philosopher, and Ellen Metzger, a scientist, clarify normative aspects of sustainability. Combining their perspectives, they propose that sustainability can be understood as the art of living well together without diminishing opportunity to live well in the future. Curren and Metzger lay out the nature and value of sustainability, survey the problems, catalog the obstacles, and identify the kind of efforts needed to overcome them. They formulate an ethic of sustainability with lessons for government, organizations, and individuals, and illustrate key ideas with three case studies. Curren and Metzger put intergenerational justice at the heart of sustainability; discuss the need for fair (as opposed to coercive) terms of cooperation to create norms, institutions, and practices conducive to sustainability; formulate a framework for a fundamental ethic of sustainability derived from core components of common morality; and emphasize the importance of sustainability education. The three illustrative case studies focus on the management of energy, water, and food systems, examining the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Australia's National Water Management System, and patterns of food production in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia.

Review by Choice Review

In its early history, global environmental stewardship was a hodgepodge of governmental strategies that balanced natural resource usage with varying degrees of environmental protection. There was little concern about a unified per capita environmental footprint until the 1987 United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development. After this time, the concept of sustainability became an environmental policy goal. This book provides vehement arguments for the advancement of global sustainable development policies that are objective and equitable. Curren (philosophy, Univ. of Rochester) and Metzger (geology, San Jose State Univ.) begin by defining sustainability and justifying why sustainable practices are important for all countries. This is followed by coverage of the impediments and ethical concerns that govern sustainability policy decisions. The authors then discuss the complexity of developing sustainability programs that protect the economy, environment, and society. Included are case studies on sustainability implementations and a discourse about the importance of educating the public about sustainability. Curren and Metzger are accurate and unbiased with their assessment of sustainability. They provide a bibliography that is current and contains many primary reference sources. This is a good book for environmental law and policy libraries. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Brian R. Shmaefsky, Lone Star College - Kingwood

Review by Choice Review

Living well now and in the future : why sustainability matters /

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