Very interesting and thought-provoking book. I firmly agree with the author's assessment of neoclassical economics and our seeming obsession with economic growth (at least the politicians and the media give it enough hype). However, his system of social classification based on the degrees that people "liquidate" the planet's resources and proposed methods of changing liquidators into steady-staters left me skeptical about the feasibility of such an ambitious plan of psychological and social conditioning. Could be Czech's solution is right, and I'm just too pessimistic. How our environment and planet ends up will depend to what extent the masses become enthralled (and tolerant of) crowded cities, suburbia, computers, Hollywood and video games that offer people better and better virtual reality. Lucky for some of us there are still a good number of environmental kooks out there that may be able to keep that from happening.

Czech, a wildlife biologist who later did post-graduate work in economics, provides an interesting analysis and critique of the concept of economic growth in the U.S. He challenges the notion that economic growth can continue unabated, as all resources, however abundant at one point, are finite, and all economic activity, down to the most tertiary of service sectors, depends to some extent on production (use, consumption, processing of natural resources). He also quite plausibly refutes an argument often made by economists who support the growth theory that lower prices of raw materials or resources bascially mean an abundance thereof (often it simply means that extraction or labor costs have gone down). Like any good ecologist, he also stresses that market costs of a given economic activity rarely reflect the real cost to things like the potable water supply, air quality, etc. Czech also introduces some interesting new terms to environmental economic parlance, such as economic bloating as a substitute for economic growth, or 'liquidating class' to refer to that section of the population that consumes conspicuously and needlessly. Czech calls for a transition to a zero-growth or steady-state economy (hardly a new concept) which does not entail dismantling or even radically changing the current capitalist system. The main problem is that this requires a major attitude change, nothing short of a revolution, in the way people think about the economy, growth and the future (if they do at all). While some of the conclusions about how this can be achieved are questionable, this is generally a very thought-provoking book. Czech does a good job of blending economic theory with his knowledge of the natural sciences, and making it all quite readable and understandable. If you can get past his constant use of the rather annoying rhetorical device about "the grandkids," this is a very worthwhile read.

Brian Czech is a wildlife bioligist by profession and it is interesting that he should choose to write this book on the topic of steady-state economics. He notes in the prologue that his epiphany came while on a trawling boat in the Bering Sea. He wondered how the ship could hold the enormous catch it was bringing in until it dawned on him that the fish were being caught for their roe and then pumped out to sea "as a sort of ichthyological hamburger." It was the beginning of the realisation that the real roots of environmental destruction lay in economic growth and that if he wanted to save the forests and wildlife that he loved he would have to work on the challenging the assumptions of neo-classical economics.

Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train is divided into two parts. The first part is entitled "The Runaway Train" and it details the problems with economic growth and neo-classical economics and gives an overview of ecological economics. The second part is entitled "Stopping the Train" and it details Czech's model for a "Steady State Revolution" which would transform the growth economy to a steady state economy.

Czech does an exceptional job of explaining the problems of neo-classical economics and its obsession with growth. He cleverly redefines economic growth as "economic bloating" and he avoids bogging the reader down with technical terms. This makes the book accessible and interesting to readers of all backgrounds.

He argues that there is need for a Copernican revolution in the world view of neo-classical economists. "Only when we have a more Copernican economics will economists live in a world in which economic growth is limited, where the rest of us common folk are already stuck," Czech writes. Just as the universe does not revolve around the world, neither can limitless economic growth occur in a finite world. Indeed Czech rightly points out that this is simply common sense, but he is also aware of the power of the paradigm and also the power of politics which both seek to maintain the status quo.

In the last chapter of part one Czech introduces ecological economics. The chapter is entitled "Copernicus, are you out there?" which again alludes to the need for a paradigm shift. He notes that many of the great discoveries in science have been made by people working outside their field. This is because they work with fewer assumptions and "do not suffer the tunnel vision of the paradigm." This is the reason why many of those who challenge the economic growth model come from a background in the physical and biological sciences.

It is also noted that the contribution of scientists alone to ecological economics is not sufficient. Those devoted to the study of economics still have an important role to play for it is they who truly understand the nuances of what makes an economy work. It is here that the work of Daly and others is significant.

Having spelled out the problem and given an overview of the solution, Czech delivers his manifesto for a "steady state revolution" in part two of the book. He asserts that there is a need for "nothing less than a revolution, a social revolution to match the academic revolution of ecological economics." (p. 111)

The target of Czech's revolution is over consumption or more specifically what he defines as conspicuous consumption. This is the indulgences of the very rich which go way beyond any kinds of need.

The steady state revolution is based on a radical definition of the classes (although it should be noted it has nothing to do with Marxism). Three new classes are defined-the liquidating class, the amorphic class and the steady state class.

There are some interesting reasons for targeting the super rich and perhaps one of the best ones is that a vastly disproportionate share of the additional wealth created by economic growth goes to those in the liquidating and amorphic classes. This statistic is interesting: "The average income of the 80 percent of Americans who are non-managerial has declined over the past twenty years." Another interesting statistic is that "approximately 99 percent of the annual increase in American's wealth goes to the 20 percent that is most wealthy.

While I see there are some problems with Czech's idea for a steady state revolution they do not really detract that much from the book overall. Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train is an engaging read and provides much food for thought. It is a welcome addition to the body of literature that explore alternatives to the current economic system.