The Politics of Environment in Southeast Asia charts the emergence of the environment as an issue of public debate in the region. Through a series of case studies the authors explore the coalescence of social forces around environmental issues, the process of alliance formation, and the role of state institutions, media and NGOs in the complex political battles over resource allocation.
The volatile tensions between the winners and losers in this struggle for the environment will make Southeast Asia a focus of increased attention.

Philip Hirsch is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geography, University of Sydney. Carol Warren lectures in the Asian Studies and Development Studies Programmes at Murdoch University.

1 Introduction: through the environmental looking glass: the politics of resources and resistance in Southeast Asia Part I Large dams, community and nation 2 Large dam victims and their defenders: the emergence of an anti-dam movement in Indonesia 3 Dams, resources and the politics of environment in mainland Southeast Asia 4 The political economy of Mekong Basin development Part II Political economy of forestry 5 Political economy of logging in Sarawak, Malaysia 6 The politics of forestry in Burma 7 The politics of logging in the Philippines Part III Industrialisation and mining development 8 Mining, environmental impact and dependent communities: the view from below in East Kalimantan 9 Environmental policy and conflicting interests: coal mining, tourism and livelihoods in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam Part IV Pollution and environmental health 10 River pollution and political action in Indonesia 11 The politics of environmental health: industrialization and suspected poisoning in Thailand Part V Tourism development 12 Tanah Lot: the cultural and environmental politics of resort development in Bali 13 The Chiang Mai cable-car project: local controversy over cultural and eco-tourism Part VI The politics of response 14 The environment and local initiatives in southern Negros 15 Epilogue: analysis and action