Third World Political Ecology

An effective response to contemporary environmental problems demands an approach that integrates political, economic and ecological issues. This volume provides an introduction to the political economy of environmental change in the Third World.
An effective response to contemporary environmental problems demands an approach that integrates political, economic and ecological issues. This volume provides an introduction to the political economy of environmental change in the Third World. The authors review the historical development of the field, explain what is distinctive about Third World political ecology, and suggest areas for future development. Clarifying the politicized condition of environmental change today, the authors explore the role of various actors - states, multilateral institutions, businesses, environmental non-governmental organizations, poverty-stricken farmers, shifting cultivators and other "grassroots" actors - in the development of the Third World's politicized environment. This study aims to explain the development and characteristics of environmental problems that plague parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America.