Capitalism as if the world matters

Jonathan Porritt, Earthscan, hardback, 304 pages, £18.99

The competing priorities of social justice and environmental protection have, Porritt admits, often led to tensions between Greens and the Left - and the title of his new book isn't likely to heal the rift.

But this is no paean to the free market: Porritt rejects outright the current global capitalist model with its "excesses of neo-liberalism".

The problem, he says, is that politicians and business people can't imagine alternatives to capitalism. So Porritt goes back to first principles to investigate whether the basic capitalist system is inherently incompatible with sustainable development - and, if not, how it can be reformed in a politically palatable manner.

The resulting root-and-branch review is tub-thumping stuff, but probably too much so for its own good as a would-be practical programme for change.

Most of Porritt's proposals can only be implemented by governments, yet politicians are unlikely to stomach such a radical and transforming programme, even if the word "capitalism" is written in large, business-friendly letters on the cover.