Environmental Debt: The Hidden Costs of a Changing Global Economy
Consultant Larkin aims to inspire leadership in individuals and all corporate stakeholders who “hold the keys to the survival of the natural world in their daily decisions and actions.” Noting that everything depends on nature, her experience confirms that when environmental problems start to derail corporate success, action results. She uses the term environmental debt to mean “polluting and/or damaging actions that will cost other parties (people, businesses or governments) real money in the future.” The three underlying principles of the author’s Nature Means Business framework for twenty-first-century commerce are that pollution can no longer be free or subsidized, the long-term view must guide all decisions and accounting, and government plays a vital role in catalyzing clean technology and growth while preventing environmental destruction. She concludes, “Nothing except nature can transform the world as swiftly as can business—for better or for worse.” Larkin provides a perceptive perspective on important environmental issues that will serve as a valuable resource for many library patrons. --Mary Whaley