Product Description

The grim history of Nauru Island, a small speck in the Pacific Ocean halfway between Hawaii and Australia, represents a larger story of environmental degradation and economic dysfunction. For more than 2,000 years traditional Nauruans, isolated from the rest of the world, lived in social and ecological stability. But in 1900 the discovery of phosphate, an absolute requirement for agriculture, catapulted Nauru into the world market. Colonial imperialists who occupied Nauru and mined it for its lucrative phosphate resources devastated the island, which forever changed its native people. In 1968 Nauruans regained rule of their island and immediately faced a conundrum: to pursue a sustainable future that would protect their truly valuable natural resources--the biological and physical integrity of their island--or to mine and sell the remaining forty-year supply of phosphate and in the process make most of their home useless. They did the latter.
In a captivating and moving style, the authors describe how the island became one of the richest nations in the world and how its citizens acquired all the ills of modern life: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension. At the same time, Nauru became 80 percent mined-out ruins that contain severely impoverished biological communities of little value in supporting human habitation.
This sad tale highlights the dire consequences of a free-market economy, a system in direct conflict with sustaining the environment. In presenting evidence for the current mass extinction, the authors argue that we cannot expect to preserve biodiversity or support sustainable habitation, because our economic operating principles are incompatible with these activities.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #713969 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 239 pages

Review
"A compelling study of an island and a culture. . . . The larger question, of course, is not the fate of a small island, where quick profits led to long-term crisis, but whether Nauru's experience is an indicator for the future of a small planet. This is an exquisite tale with significance for our time."--"Choice

About the Author
Carl N. McDaniel is Professor of Biology and Director of Undergraduate Environmental Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. John M. Gowdy is Professor of Economics and Director of the Ph.D. program in Ecological Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is editor of Limited Wants, Limited Means (1997).

Customer Reviews

Read this book. Tell your friends to read this book.
The world is in the middle of a human-caused mass extinction of species. We are gobbling up the planet like there's no tomorrow, and that will be the case unless we stop now and totally re-evaluate our way of life. What can we do to avoid the inevitable global crisis that will follow the destruction of our natural resources? McDaniel and Gowdy draw upon the effects of limited resources on humans in isolated ecosystems in the Pacific islands to paint a bleek picture of the future of our global ecosystem. We do not dare ignore the message. If you care about the world of your children and grandchildren, read this book, and pass it on.

Why have a few others slammed this book? Look at the reviews that rate this book as a one-star and read their prose. It is an emotional rejection. They are quaking in their boots. The book is threatening to them. In fact, the truth about the environment is very threatening to sectors of the economy that depend on waste and consumption -- tourism, mining, logging. Backs against the wall, their defense is "you are just as bad as we are," or "you are not qualified," or "you are crazy extremists." This is an argument of the type Kill-the-Messenger. No attempt has been made to refute the message however. Sorry. Nobody likes bad news, but it is folly to ignore it.

A book to read, study and recommend to others
I recommend we all read and even study Paradise for Sale. The authors link the global market economy to the exploitation of the earth's natural resources including biological ecosystems, and raise the question of the planet's sustainability for human habitation. This picture is viewed through a lens on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru and its history from paradise to compromised present and future. The "shadows" of Nauru are evidenced across the planet. Hope is spotlighted. Underlying the fragility of and hope for human life on this planet is the examination of the stories or mythologies that support both the destruction and hope. This book is full of stories and clear examples and quite readable.

Paradise is the world, and it has already beed sold.
Nauru's "surrogate globe" status is more than applicable when analysed in conjunction with the forces of conventional economic globalisation. Furthermore, "Limits to Growth" did not predict living in caves in the near future, actually. "Paradise for Sale" certainly discusses proper causes and effects, and accordingly predicts not living in caves, but not living at all. Despite grimness, which is somewhat alleviated at the end of the book, McDaniel and Gowdy raise points about our market and consumption practices that must be constantly put before a complacent reading public. It is no longer a question of "are we destroying the planet and therefore ourselves?" but rather a question of "when will the planet die, and will I be there to experience the pain?" "Paradise for Sale" does not have an uplifting message. It is not the new bible falsely promising salvation and bliss at the end of the age. The book shows proof of global catastrophe and gives no hope to the apathetic. Through the example of Nauru and other islands, the authors give a choice to the populace. (1) to follow the path of globalisation and conventional economics to its proper end (i.e. Death and destruction and complete and utter misery) or (2) immediately start upon a conscious and active journey toward sustainability that will, in time, result in a livable and pleasant world. The example of the island of Tikopia has potential for application to the globe as a whole. The island was destroyed through one of the common forms of Polynesian settlement patterns, but its people gradually and consciously rebuilt the ecosystem and instituted sustainable habitation patterns. Tikopia encouragingly went from a prime example of destruction to an equally prime example of ingenious sustainability. Thus, McDaniel and Gowdy show two futures for the world, namely those numbered above. In recommendation, I have a bit of advice. Pay no attention to the negative reviews posted here. They are invariably written by people who need to solve a bit of their own inner turmoil before they interact with the rest of humanity. "Paradise for Sale" I recommend wholeheartedly, for all groups. It should be translated into as many languages as possible. It is the latest addition to the growing arsenal of positive and true environmental literature. After Paradise, I recommend that you also read John Gowdy's selection of anthropological essays which he compiled in the highly informative "Limited Wants, Unlimited Means(1997)."