Arguably, there is no better iconic representation of globalization than a hulking container ship ferrying electronics, cheap toys, clothing, and furniture to the far corners of the globe-an image which gives rise to a pair of fundamental questions about today's world: Is economic globalization the prime cause of the destruction of the global environment? And conversely, are new forms of globalization potentially the only ways to address what are now global environmental problems?

The Globalization and Environment Reader features a comprehensive collection of nearly 30 classic and cutting-edge readings that represent a broad range of perspectives within this increasingly important field. Initial readings reveal how the benefits of a massive increase in economic development over the past 60 years are tempered by immense environmental degradation. Further readings explore a variety of themes and issues relating to the nature of globalization (i.e.; how nature is being treated in an increasingly "marketized" fashion), debates about managing and governing the relationship between globalization and the environment, and broader discussions about the possibilities for globalization to be "greened."

Timely and essential, The Globalization and Environment Reader offers important insights into the future of our fragile planet in the globalized world of the 21st century.