Green, Inc: A Guide to Business and the Environment

The 1990s have seen an extraordinary amount of activity on the environmental front: the emergence of global warming as a serious concern, the successful completion of several environmental treaties, conflicts over trade and the environment, the discovery of the severity of pollution in the former Soviet empire, the greening of the World Bank, and the widespread acknowledgment that industry can make money by pursuing responsible environmental policies. In Green, Inc., award-winning environmental journalist Frances Cairncross delves into these and other topics, focusing her attention on those aspects of environmental issues that have economic implications. She examines the relationship between the environment and industrial competitiveness, international trade, aid to developing countries, energy efficiency, waste management, and economic growth. As environmental editor for The Economist, Cairncross has spent the past five years explaining complicated economic ideas in comprehensible, interesting ways. In Green, Inc., she continues that endeavor, as she explores the implications of three related themes: that economic growth can be combined with environmental protection; that a sense of proportion is needed in evaluating and reacting to environmental threats; and that industry has a vital role in finding solutions to environmental problems.