What better reason to protect an ecosystem or save a species than for our own pleasure? It may seem like an obvious question, but surprisingly it is one that has not been asked until now. Lost in the dire and scolding accounts of humanity’s impact on the environment has been a discussion of the environment’s impact on us and our well-being. Could it be that the natural environment is an essential part of our happiness? Yes, says Eric Lambin emphatically in An Ecology of Happiness. Making a case for a novel strategy in addressing environmental concerns, he asks us to consider that there may be no better reason to value and protect the health of the planet than for our own pleasure and personal well-being. 

In this clever and wide-ranging work, Lambin draws on research in the fields of geography, political ecology, environmental psychology, urban studies, and disease ecology, among others, to answer such questions as: To what extent do we need nature for our well-being? How does environmental degradation affect our happiness? What can be done to protect the environment and increase our well-being at the same time? Drawing on case studies from Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America, Lambin makes a persuasive case for the correlation between healthy ecosystems and happy humans.