"Taking Back Eden is the saga of an idea - that ordinary people can go to court to defend their environment - told through lawsuits brought in eight countries around the world. Starting in the United States, this idea has traveled the planet at warp speed, carrying protections for threatened environments and new notions of justice and democracy as well. Author Oliver Houck describes the sites at issue in their place and time, the project promoters, the people who rose up against them, their lawyers, strategies, obstacles, setbacks, and victories."--Jacket.