This is a much expanded, revised and updated version of these authors’ 1992 book on Environmental Problems in Third World Cities. It describes the scale and range of environmental problems in urban areas from the largest metropolitan agglomerations to small towns. An introductory chapter outlines the need for a new environmental agenda to halt the deterioration evident in many cities and smaller urban centres, and describes the scale of urban change in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Chapter 2 describes environmental problems at the level of the home, workplace and neighbourhood and their impact on health and people’s livelihoods. It also describes how international statistics overstate the quality and extent of provision in urban areas and includes summaries of the inadequacies in provision for water and sanitation in more than 60 cities. Chapter 3 describes environmental problems at the city level, including the growing problems of air pollution and the lack of provision to manage toxic or otherwise hazardous wastes.

Chapter 4 discusses who bears the environmental costs and the mechanisms by which the rich and powerful transfer environmental costs to other groups. Chapter 5 describes the rural, regional and global impacts of cities and the difficulties in separating urban and many rural environmental problems. This chapter also discusses the lack of connection between poverty and environmental degradation, and describes the environmental impacts that global warming is likely to have on cities. Chapters 6 to 8 concentrate on addressing environmental problems. Chapter 6 focuses on tackling environmental health problems, especially within the informal or illegal settlements where much of the urban population live. This includes discussions of upgrading, supporting cities’ 'waste' economies and the potential benefits and limitations of privatization. It also discusses new roles for NGOs and community-based organizations, drawing on case studies which have demonstrated their remarkable capacity to develop solutions. This chapter also highlights the scale and breadth of the innovations in community-driven improvements that have occurred since this book was first published in 1992.

Chapter 7 discusses how city-wide problems can be tackled, including achieving cleaner industrial production, reducing air pollution, supporting urban agriculture and developing city-wide Local Agenda 21s. It includes case studies of Local Agenda 21s in many urban centres. There are
also summaries of the many techniques that can contribute to better environmental planning and management, including the definition and use of environmental indicators. The chapter ends with a discussion of the institutional constraints on effective action at national, local and international level. This includes a description of the low priority given by most international agencies to supporting environmental solutions which benefit low-income groups.

Chapter 8 describes how the growing concern for sustainable development has influenced urban policy and practice. It also describes how disparate interests have moulded the definition of sustainable development to legitimize their interests, including corporate interests that have appropriated sustainable development slogans to promote their expansion. It shows how many groups emphasize ecological sustainability and forget development issues while other groups emphasize development goals and forget environmental issues altogether. It presents a framework for promoting sustainable development goals in cities and discusses the changes needed at local, national and international level to support its implementation. It also describes the Trump Index which can be used to assess the differentials in individuals’ contributions to ecological unsustainability, suggesting that it be indexed based on the consumption patterns of Donald Trump. The final chapter draws together the book’s main conclusions.