33-l Book Reviews

Seeing Green. J. Porritt. 34Y pp.. 1YS-l. Bubil Blackuell. Oxford. f3.YS

I must confe>s that I approached this book with some cynicism. XIy expectations were that a book by the Director of Friends of the Earth (England) and a leading member of the British Ecology Party. with ‘The politics of ecology explained’ as a sub-title \vould be heavy with polemic, rich in over-generalizations and thin on sub- stance. I was quickly proved urong. and discovered a brutallv honest personal esamination of many environ- mental’issues and fears.

Anyone seeking a history or analysis of green politics in Europe. or a heavily-referenced academic treatise on green politics. must look elsewhere. This book describes what green politics is all about. and it does so in four sections. The first (‘Seeing Green’) offers a brief review of what green politics stands for in Europe (especially West Germany) and a brief kaleidoscope of dominant world views [contrasting the -green’ (environmental) view with conventional ‘blue’ (capitalist) and ‘red’ (socialist) views]. Section two (‘The Balance Sheet’) examines the present mess Porritt sees us in. and on this broad canvas he paints colourful portraits of \vhat he sees wrens with industrializ- ation, contemporary economic thinking. dchumanizntion and alienation of peoples and growing separation of man from nature. In section three (‘Turning to Green’) he explores how we might get out of the mess. following a sustainable ‘preen’ path which requires a new rcverencr for and understanding of holism and cohesiveness. a new commitment to non-monetarist. non-expansionist. welfare economics. a new search for world peace and an altered view of man’s role on earth. The final section (‘The Green Challenge’) allows him to reiterate the full range of differences between the conventional politics of industrial- ism and his visions for a ,politics of ecology. and to invite us to share his views of what the future might hold in store.

This book reflects a carefully considered view from the inside; an outworking of the key ingredients in a ‘green’ lifestyle. Admittedly much of the basic ground is familiar. and the discussion ranges over the usual ranpe of topics (from nuclear weapons. through international trade and multi-national corporations, to low-energy farming. de- centralized government and village re-invigoration). But Porritt’s commitment to his green beliefs is ensaping and persuasive. This allows him to explore central issues in an unusually frank way. He has clearly thought long and hard about his own views and beliefs. and this allows him to write with welcome clarity and to offer a surprisingly coherent set of proposals (doubtless rooted firmly in Ecology Party manifestos) for a green tray forward in Britain.

Far from papering over the intellectual cracks and ignoring fallacies and inherent paradoxes. he delights in rsposing the former and accepting the latter as inevitable. One particular paradox must have been hard to accept - if green politics is real/~ successful, then it \vill force 011 politicians in nli parties to become more ecological in their outlook; if and when that happens, it would make the Ecology Party ‘one of the few political parties in history whose success \vill be measured by the speed \vith which it puts itself out of business’ (p. 11).

Neither is this a bleakly pessimistic book. Porritt admits in his preface that he is in the business of saving planets, not

burying them. and his optimism -tempered inevitablT,by frustration at the monolithic survival of the prevailing \vorld view and anxiety that people remain unaware of the consequences of their actions on the environment - comes across in the vitality with which he writes. He urges us all to start moving along the ‘green’ road without delay. to ensure a peaceful and socially acceptable trans- formation.

This is most certainly a thinking person’s book. to be read and retlected on. You might not necessarily agree with all that he says. or with his diagnoses of what is wrong or prescriptions and remedies but thinking about the issues from his perspective will do us all a great deal of good. Whether it brings about a new green consciousness, of course. particularly in a period of recession and belt- tightening. is another question altogether.

His recipe for change is far-reachins and demanding. including expansion of co-operative enterprise, reduced demand for goods. greater self-reliance and decentraliz- ation of decision-making, greater use of appropriate technologies. radical changes in personal values and aspirations (‘the economics of enough’) and in attitudes to work. pcoplc and the world about LIS, replacing the impersonal. rationalizing philosophy of scientific material- ism with a greater concern for creativity. personal identity and metaphysics.

Some environmental writers - arguably wrongly - repard the Judeo-Christian religious tradition (especially the Genesis injunction to 'sub&c the earth’) as the root cause of our present environmental crisis, but Jonathan Porritt avoids such an interpretation. fHe does, however. recognize (I role for theology as well as ecology. and throughout the book he bemoans the lack of concern over environmental issues amongst Christian church leaders today. Porritt is. by his own confession. a ‘hopelessly imperfect Christian’ (p. 210). but many ingredients of his recipe for chanpe would be shared by committed thinking Christians. It is doubtless time for us to contribute to the debate!

CHRIS PARK Utriversity of Ltrrmster. U. K.

Travel and Tourism hlanagement, D. Foster. 343 pp.. lYSi, Macmillan, London, f25.00 hb. fS.95 pb

Tourism is one of the most rapidly growing economic activities in the world and its impacts are being felt in most types of environment, including rural areas. Indeed, tourism is one of the major agents of change in many rural areas so that an appreciation of tourism and its manifest- ations is becoming increasingly essential for a full under- standing of rural activities. economies and landscapes. However. in spite of a recent growth in the number of texts on tourism. including the work under discussion, the definitive work on tourism in rural areas has yet to be written. This should not be construed as a criticism of Travel ard Tooltrisrrz Mrttmgmet~r for the author has set himself a very different goal. but it does have implications for the likely utility of this work for students of rural areas.

As an authority on product planning and marketing, the author has adopted a business approach and is particularly

Book Reviews 285

concerned with the management of tourism enterprises.

The emphases are on the private sector and mass tourism.

While the book is much broader in scope than this. this reviewer felt most comfortable when reading the latter chapters on ‘the marketing mix’ and ‘the communications

mix’. and this is where the major contribution of the book lies. Earlier chapters on ‘tourism - its impact and motivations’, ‘tourism - the industrv’. ‘products and

markets’, ‘accommodation and cateiing.. ‘transport’.

‘infrastructure and superstructure’. and the last chapter on ‘finance and organization’ are sound, if sometimes mun-

dane. Thus. researchers interested in planning for business enterprises and the marketing of tourism products will find

this book useful, but those concerned with tourism

planning in a broader sense. or the impacts of tourism on host communities, will be advised to look elsewhere for pertinent information.

One sympathizes with an author faced with the difficult task of imposing a structure on a large body of interrelated subject matter. Nonetheless. it is the author’s responsi- bility to undertake this task if the reader is to be guided through the materials in a clear and logical manner. This

reader missed an initial conceptualization which would prepare him for what was to come and enable him to place

things in context. The book contains a wealth of infor- mation but some subjects. such as economic multipliers and quantitative and qualitative research methods, per-

haps inevitably, are covered superficially. The book is not exciting reading: the author likes to ask questions to provoke the reader (there are 16 questions on p. 130 alone!) but often does not provide the answers, and too frequently uses plural subjects with singular verbs (there

are two examples on p. 1%)). On the other hand, the written material is interspersed with a number of linkage diagrams and numerous tables which summarize points made in the text. Each chapter ends with one or two very

brief case studies and some suggested assignments. The book concludes with a superficial abridged history of tourism, a useful short glossary of terms and an index. There are no footnotes and a very brief bibliography so

that there are few signposts to guide the curious reader who wishes to explore further.

In spite of its faults, Trnvel and Tourism Mnnugenzent is a useful document. It is likely to receive widespread use in business and tourism marketing courses, and is a welcome addition to the literature. It is unlikely to receive wide readership among devotees of rural studies.

GEOFF WALL Depnrtrnent of Geography

University of Wrrterloo, Cmmki

Landscape, Land Use and the Law, J.D.C. Harte. Methuen, London, fld.95

Students of land use have for too long been subject to a limited range of texts relating to this important topic. Many of the standard planning law texts have been revised since they were first written, but Harte‘s book takes a fresh look at the law relating to landscape and land use.

The preparation of this book was undoubtedly a response to the lack of an adequate text to support specific lecture courses for students of planning. landscape, architecture and law. Its availability should prove invaluable to these

groups of students and also prove helpful to other students such as geographers and surveyors. Although ostensibly a

text for students. this will be a useful source of reference for practitioners in a number of professions.

The text is introduced by a consideration of the import- ance of ‘law’ for the landscape and then is followed by the following sections: The Legal Background, The Law and

Physical Land Boundaries. Public Law and the Control of Land Use, Means of Acquiring and Extinguishing Control of Land, Land Use and Legal Responsibility for Harm,

Special Aspects of Legal Responsibility in Land Use and

Legal Powers and their Availability. The main part of the

text is concluded by an interesting, but unfortunately all

too short, chapter on Alternatives to the Law. For student and practitioner alike, there is a helpful suggestion for further reading, and a useful table of cases and statutes at the end of the book.

The text does not embrace every aspect of the law relating to landscape and land use in the same detail and therefore it should not be used in isolation but rather in conjunction with other texts and statutes. The fact that some aspects are treated in more detail than others may be the cause of some frustration if the text is being used for a specific reference.

One of the more pleasing features of this book is the use of case law to illustrate and explain particular themes and issues. This is not done in a highly legalistic manner and therefore the points of debate can be more readily appreciated by a wider readership. However, for the more legally minded there is a comprehensive reference system for all the cases to which the author refers.

Although the book is dominated by the law of the U.K., it does pause to give a flavour of the European and international law which relates to the environment. Un- doubtedly a sequel, which focused more attention on the international dimension. uould be welcomed by many as interest and concern about the responsibility for trans- frontier pollution grows.

For anyone with a developing interest in this aspect of the law, Harte’s book provides some interesting background material, a considerable amount of explanation and some helpful outline of how the law relating to land use and landscape works.

The text contains plans, tables and photographs which, although used a little too sparingly, do offer some additional support and explanation to the reader. The text is well laid out and its sectionalised referencing system makes it a straightforward text to consult.

TIM SHAW Department of Town and Country Planning

University of Newcastle upon Tvne, U.K.

The Devil Makes Work: Leisure in Capitalist Britain, J. Clarke and C. Critcher. xiv + 245 pp., 19S5, hlethuen, London, X20.00 hbk. f6.95 pbk

Ours is not the promised leisure society. Our freedom of leisure choice is spurious and available leisure statistics obscure the inequalities prevalent in access to leisure in