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Green Outcomes in the Real World - Global Forces, Local Circumstances, and Sustainable Solutions
Ashgate Publishing, Oct 2010, Pages: 254
Over the last three decades the world economy has grown strongly on the back of 'globalization' supported by the policies of free-trade, open markets and privatisation. Over a similar period support has been growing for the concept of 'sustainability' defined in terms of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
In the first decade of the 21st century, as the Earth's systems come under increasing strain, the inherent conflict between sustainability and globalization has been exposed. This book examines the shift in thinking required to reconcile these two important areas of policy.
In this ground breaking book, Peter McManners has coined the term 'Proximization' to define a new policy framework. A new term ensures that the ideas do not get confused with existing concepts. For example the policies of proximization will lead to localising more activities, but this is not 'localization' as described by many green economists. The book argues that localization does not work as the prime focus of policy. There are many activities that operate best at a global scale and proximization allows this.
The principles of Proximization put forward are: 'sustainability', 'subsidiarity', 'primacy of the state' and 'market economics'. The application of these familiar concepts towards a sustainable globalised world is novel and different.
It is argued that adherence to the principles of proximization will return world society to a stable natural order. This will mean in practice a number of changes. Global commodity flows will reduce and barriers to migration will increase. National governments will demand more control over their finances leading to restrictions on capital flows. Indeed, Peter McManners believes that an element of 'selfish determination' is needed.
The new world order will be sustainable by design. Global organisations such as the UN, national governments and global corporations will have to understand and apply a different paradigm. The arguments in this book do not reflect the idealism or even naivety of some of the green movement. This book is about hard-edged reality presented by an author with huge experience and a deep understanding of the business perspective. It will, therefore appeal to a wide range of professionals involved in setting policy and future direction for businesses, governments, and non-governmental bodies, as well as to those with an academic interest in business, economics, social and environmental issues, and public policy.
About the Author:
Peter McManners works as a consultant and author and he is a Visiting Executive Fellow at Henley Business School, teaching on the Global Business Environment module. His first degree was in engineering from Durham University. He has an MSc. from Edinburgh University, where he studied global databases and environmental monitoring, and he is a Henley MBA.
Peter's career as a military engineer, surveyor and mapping expert took him to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has been Chief Operating Officer of the Oxford Trust, where his focus was on spinning technology out of academia. He has taught all over Northern Europe under the auspices of Henley Business School, Reading University. He has written a number of papers, articles and books, winning a prize in the Oxford Science Writing Competition for one of his articles. He currently writes a monthly column in Sustainable Business magazine.
Peter is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Member of the Institute of Directors. He is also a member of the Green Economics Institute and was a speaker at the Institute's Oxford Conference in 2008 and 2009.
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