First in a series of short books designed to promote enhanced discussion and sharpened analysis of current public policy issues in Latin America, this collection of essays addresses the need to reconcile economic growth and environmental protection. The contributors - among them scholars, government officials and development practitioners - provide a theoretical and practical discussion of sustainable development practices, explore alternatives to deforestation, consider the pros and cons of debt-for-nature swaps and look at the air pollution problems facing urban areas, specially Mexico City. The overall aim of the book is to present new insights into the numerous problems, and potential solutions, confronting Latin America in the 1990s.