Book jacket wrapped in Mylar sleeve Barry Commoner Pantheon Books, 1990 - Environmental degradation - 292 pages This sequel to The Closing Circle details why most attempts to save the environment have failed, and what we must do to rectify them Commoner argues that, despite billions of dollars spent to save the environment, America is still in a deep environmental crisis. The book argues that environmental pollution can be prevented only through fundamental redesign of the way we produce goods.