Environmental Conflict: In Search of Common Ground. J. J. Pompe and J. R. Rinehart. 2002. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY. 176 pp. $49.50 hardcover, $16.95 paperback.

Abstract

economists by training, the authors of environmental conflict: in search of common ground offer a fast–moving and far–reaching analysis of current environmental debates — from global warming to biodiversity loss to industrial pollution. j. j. pompe and j. r. rinehart propose economic theory as an indispensable framework for understanding environmental policy decisions. by defining environmental degradation as an essentially economic problem, the authors set out to “demystify economics” as it applies to environmental decision making—which, like all decision–making processes (in their view), is fundamentally shaped by human choice and responses to change. peppered with popular analogies, from star wars to the extinction of the passenger pigeon, the lively style reflects the authors' intention to apply economic principles in lay terms, making it a useful introductory text to the field of environmental economics, especially at the undergraduate level.