Ecological economics is the science of managing natural resources, and
Stanford University’s Gretchen Daily is one of its leading lights. She’s reading
Water by Alice Outwater (Basic Books, 1997), an overview of how three
species once controlled the hydrological cycle in North America. The idea, she
says, “is to get a sense of the difficulty in deciding what’s natural and what
most merits protection”.
Daily also delves into books which speculate on human nature, such as Natalie
Angier’s Woman (Anchor, 2000). She’s also reading Human
Natures by Paul Ehrlich (Island Press, 2000). Next on Daily’s list? Harry
Potter,…
