I’m reviewing The God Species by Mark Lynas for The Independent, so will not post a review here. But it did underline for me the convergence of debate between economists and environmentalists about sustainability and the impact of humans on the planet as a whole. Until quite recently I would have said the perspectives of the two disciplines could not possibly converge, with economists fundamentally believing that if a trend is unsustainable, it will not be sustained because people’s behaviour would change in response to incentives, and environmentalists fundamentally gloomier about the scope for self-correction.

However, I’m starting to think there is a real effort on both sides to reach a mutual understanding about sustainability. I’d put my own The Economics of Enough: How to Run the Economy as if the Future Matters in this basket, alongside some economics books more directly concerned with climate change – Nick Stern’s Blueprint for a Safer Planet comes to mind. Mark Lynas’s book is an environmental campaigner’s pragmatic effort to include economic tools in the kit of responses needed to avert catastrophic environmental change.

I’ll link to my review when it’s out in The Independent.

PS A note to regular readers – I hope you like the new format. We made a software and server switch, which is why the blog has been quiet this week. Feedback is welcome – I’ll be making a few more changes. There will also be links to Amazon as it seems to make sense to join the affiliates programme – the only one available at present.