| Conquering Nature provides the only book-length analysis of the environmental situation in Cuba after four decades of socialist rule. Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez challenge the concept that environmental disruption was not supposed to occur under socialism since it was alleged that, guided by scientific policies, socialism could only beget environmentally benign economic development. Between the early 1960s and the late 1980s the environmental situation worsened despite Cuba's achieving one of the lowest population growth rates in the world and having eliminated extreme living standard differentials in rural areas, two of the primary reasons often given for environmental deterioration in developing countries. The government's approach was to "conquer nature". This disregard for the environmental consequences of development projects continues to this day despite official allegations to the contrary. Conquering Nature provides, for the first time, a relevant analysis of socialist environmental policies of a developing country. It will be of interest to students and scholars of Cuba and those interested in environmental issues in developing countries.
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