More from Less: The Surprising Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources―and What Happens Next is a new(ish) entry in the decoupling/dematerialization debate. The argument is that we (i.e. the United States) are gradually using fewer natural resources and producing less pollution each year while still growing our economy and quality of life.

This is the point in the post where I have to admit I am reviewing a book I haven’t read. I read the description of the book on Amazon, and this review in Foreign Policy. I would imagine that an MIT scientist (the author, Andrew McAfee) would get the math right. I would imagine he probably understands the difference between stocks and flows. But the general public, and even well- but narrowly educated people typically do not. First we have to decrease the rate at which our footprint is growing, which it sounds like this book might make a case that we have. That is good. But our footprint is still too big to sustain our way of life indefinitely, and still growing. Second, we have to start shrinking our footprint. I don’t think we have, and I am not sure this book makes that case. It is still too big to sustain our way of life indefinitely. Third, we have to shrink it to a level that can sustain our way of life indefinitely. We have to complete these three steps in order, and complete them all before it is too late to save our civilization and our planet’s ecosystems in roughly their current state. It’s unfair because I am literally judging the book by its cover, but it sounds like it makes a case that we might have completed only the first step.

The Foreign Policy article argues that it doesn’t even make that compelling case because it ignores trade and external impacts. In other words, the environmental impact of our domestic consumption and economic activities is happening in developing countries, plus the oceans and atmosphere. It’s surprising to me if he made that obvious a mistake, but again, I would have to read the book to find out. It is unlikely my employer and family and need for some minimal amount of physical rest will afford me an opportunity to do that soon. So if you read it, let me know what you find out!