This is a very special book. Until now, no one has put together the full environmental and ethical story facing Planet Earth, as Tor Hundloe has done. In this book he has put squarely on the for agenda the key matters which almost all -- including Al Gore -- are still dodging for fear of the heavy hand of the church and of conservative economists. And that is nothing less than the need to eventually reduce our global population; the need to recognise that our market economy does not have to grow forever to retain its vitality; and above all the need to get serious about linking the global economy to the global environment. Today we desperately seek solutions to climate change, water scarcity, pollution and Third World poverty. But in order to go forward, first we must go back...This book traces the development of the three key disciplines underpinning modern environmental decision-making, otherwise known as sustainability science: ecology, economics and ethics. It illustrates how these disciplines, singularly and in concert, will need to be applied in the 21st century if true sustainability is to be achieved. It also explores the ideas of the great thinkers and activists who have helped to put sustainability on the cultural and political map. Emeritus Professor Tor Hundloe opens up the world to anyone wanting to better understand how we got into this mess -- and how to get out of it.