The Bookshelf: Feb. 25, 2015

Trib+Water is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of water studies. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

THE AGE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

by Jeffrey D. Sachs

A leading economist offers a brilliant analysis of the worldwide need to balance economic development and environmental sustainability.

In an important, comprehensive and remarkably accessible book — a standout in a sea of jargon-laden titles that fail to explain and vivify this enormously complex topic — the author writes lucidly about a staggering array of intertwined challenges, including poverty, overpopulation, species extinction, overextraction from oceans, urbanization, social mobility and climate change. Sachs … calls for a holistic approach and new ideas to produce “prosperous, inclusive, sustainable, and well-governed societies.” … Examining each aspect of his topic in detail within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals formulated at the Rio+20 Summit in 2012, Sachs argues that solutions are feasible and affordable, despite strong opposition by vested interests and the inaction of governments.

Required reading for policymakers and students, and general readers will finish the book realizing they actually understand what sustainable development is all about.

For full review, visit kirkus.com