In a dramatic turning point for environmental policy, the 2002 U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa affirmed that economic growth is a prerequisite for improving the world's environment. This should translate into a greater reliance on market-based policy solutions. However, many environmental issues remain as contentious as ever — climate change, sustainable development, food production, and urban growth.

The “year in review” introduction of the Index provides a thorough analysis of the current scholarship on these topics. And it demonstrates that environmental controversies are nearly always more complicated than the popular story line, and that the legal and institutional means for dealing effectively with them are rarely as obvious as we might think.

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