The need for China to find a new, environmentally sustainable development path is accepted widely among Chinese scholars and policy makers. This book makes available for the first time to an English–speaking audience Deng Yingtao's ground-breaking book . Published in 1991, the book was far ahead of its time. Deng subjects the development model of the high income countries to rigorous analysis and explores the environmental implications of China following this model. His clear conclusion is that the carrying capacity of the physical environment and nature is limited, that economic and social development should not exceed the carrying capacity of resources, and that China should not adopt the western development path. Based on insights from economics, engineering and human psychology, the book analyses the environmental impact of the current western development model, demonstrates the catastrophic impact this would have in terms of China's own development and in terms of China's relationship with the world, and argues that China's rich intellectual and scientific tradition will allow Chinese people to play a central role in finding the solution to the profound environmental and development challenges the world currently faces.