First published in 1992. Why are environmental problems, problems? Usually, says Graham Bennett. because the interests of the polluter are incompatible with the preservation of the environment. A hunter of whales, no matter how concerned about their decline, will always need to kill again, and a government, no matter how worried about the effects of its polluting industry, will still fight to keep it going.

In this fascinating book the author takes six examples as far apart as the Rhine and the Arctic, as Tennessee and the Gulf of Genoa, to illustrate his point. In doing so he shows up the dilemmas facing those who are fighting to improve matters. He demonstrates the degree of duplicity exercised by those in power in order to preserve their interests, but he also shows how often environmental problems emerge simply because of muddle.

These riveting stories describe not just the well-known effects of pollution or environmental destruction, but the ways in which the problems arise and the circumstances and complexity of the questions to be resolved. Whatever the concern - the preservation of the Bowhead Whale, or dumping salt in the Rhine - this book is a must for every environmentalist.