Of Limits and Growth
The Rise of Global Sustainable Development in the Twentieth Century

Of Limits and Growth offers new perspectives on environmentalism, post-1945 international history, and the origins of sustainability.

Stephen Macekura (Author)

9781107072619, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 July 2015

343 pages, 7 b/w illus. 4 maps
23.5 x 16 x 2.5 cm, 0.62 kg

'… Macekura shows that the environmentalists played a critical role in fashioning the current consensus that environmental protection is compatible with continued material abundance. Above all, his book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the current impasse over a meaningful global climate change agreement.' Simon Toner, H-Diplo

Of Limits and Growth connects three of the most important aspects of the twentieth century: decolonization, the rise of environmentalism, and the United States' support for economic development and modernization in the Third World. It links these trends by revealing how environmental NGOs challenged and reformed the development approaches of the US government, World Bank, and United Nations from the 1960s through the 1990s. The book shows how NGOs promoted the use of 'appropriate' technologies, environmental reviews in the lending process, development plans based on ecological principles, and international cooperation on global issues such as climate change. It also reveals that the 'sustainable development' concept emerged from transnational negotiations in which environmentalists accommodated the developmental aspirations of Third World intellectuals and leaders. In sum, Of Limits and Growth offers a new history of sustainability by elucidating the global origins of environmental activism, the ways in which environmental activists challenged development approaches worldwide, and how environmental non-state actors reshaped the United States' and World Bank's development policies.

Introduction: on the origins of 'sustainable development'
1. The rise of international conservation and post-war development
2. Parks and poverty in Africa: conservation, decolonization, and development
3. 'The world's most dangerous political issue': the 1972 Stockholm conference and the politics of environmental protection
4. When small seemed beautiful: NGOs, appropriate technology, and international development in the 1970s
5. Leveraging the lenders: the quest for environmental impact statements in the United States and the World Bank
6. Conservation for development: the World Conservation Strategy and the rise of sustainable development planning
7. The persistence of old problems: the politics of environment and development at the Rio Earth Summit
Conclusion: the limits and growth of NGOs.

Subject Areas: Sustainability [RNU], Climate change [RNPG], Environmental economics [KCN], Non-governmental organizations [NGOs JPWH], General & world history [HBG]