The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future. By Elizabeth C. Economy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004. 368p. $29.95.

Most people are aware of China's severe environmental problems. The country's cities are among the world's most polluted; one of the major rivers sometimes fails to run to the sea; the desert is now only a few hours' drive from Beijing. China's falling water tables, transnational ecological impacts, thirst for energy, and emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances have made its environmental problems an urgent concern not only for its own citizens and policymakers but also for the world. A book that attempts to analyze the causes and implications of this situation is welcome.