Book Description

Across the United States, people are developing new relationships with the forest ecosystems on which they depend, with a common goal of improving the health of the land and the well-being of their communities. Practitioners and supporters of what has come to be called community forestry are challenging current approaches to forest management as they seek to end the historical disfranchisement of communities and workers from forest management and the all-too-pervasive trends of long-term disinvestment in ecosystems and human communities that have undermined the health of both.

Community Forestry in the United States is an analytically rigorous and historically informed assessment of this new movement. It examines the current state of community forestry through a grounded assessment of where it stands now and where it might go in the future. The book not only clarifies the state of the movement, but also suggests a trajectory and process for its continued development. ... Read more

Book Description

There are many books on the environment, but Wisdom for a Livable Planet stands out by using inspirational stories of successful activists to explore major environmental issues and offer proven solutions. This passionate, nonpartisan book makes the case that the environment is — or should be — beyond politics. Each story here — 8 in all — provides a portrait of an individual's courageous campaign to improve the conditions for life on the planet. Terri Swearington, nurse and mother in West Virginia, tackles one of the world's largest incinerators burning toxic waste next to an elementary school. Dave Foreman, cofounder of the Wildlands Project, leads the effort to restore functional ecosystems and preserve biodiversity by re-wilding almost half of North America with wolves, jaguars, falcons, and other animals. The work of these and the other six visionaries profiled here points to how real reforms can create a brighter future for all life, including human. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Important and thought-provoking
"Wisdom" is a collection of very readable and thought-provoking
biographies of people who are trying to make a difference at a time when every obstacle is being placed in the way of ideas and actions that are concerned with our future. These people are today's heroes. McDaniel knows his subject and explains in very understandable terms the ideas and actions of each person plus what their causes mean for the future and the consequences if we don't listen to what they are telling us. Everyone, regardless of their political persuasion, should read this book.

Important book
'Wisdom for a Livable Planet' highlights the incredible environmental contributions of eight people in various fields. It gives a sense of the breadth of environmentalism today, while uniting all eight of the book's subjects in their resolve to fight against the overwhelming forces of anti-environmentalism found in our political and academic institutions today. Why is it so hard to fight to protect our planet? Because most of us see everything through the filter of economics which treats the environment as a commodity. Until leaders (political, educational, and spiritual) understand the importance of defending our environment, until they spread the word of living within the context of our environment, we are doomed to destroy ourselves. Those leaders could start by educating themselves with this book. I think everyone should read it. I even donated a copy to my local library.
... Read more

Book Description

This survey of current issues and controversies in environmental policy and management is unique in its thematic mix, broad coverage of key debates and approaches, and in-depth analysis of concepts treated less thoroughly in other texts. The contributing authors, all distinguished scholars or practitioners, offer a comprehensive examination of key topics in environmental governance today, including perspectives from environmental economics, democratic theory, public policy, law, political science, and public administration. Environmental Governance Reconsidered is the first book to integrate these wide-ranging topics and perspectives thematically in one volume.

Many are calling for a change in the bureaucratic, adversarial, technology-based regulatory approach that is the basis for much environmental policy -- a move from "rule-based" to "results-based" regulation. Each of the thirteen chapters in Environmental Governance Reconsidered critically examines one aspect of this "second generation" of environmental reform, assesses its promise-versus-performance to date, and points out future challenges and opportunities. The first section of the book, "Reconceptualizing Purpose," discusses the concepts of sustainability, global interdependence, the precautionary principle, and common pool resource theory. The second section, "Reconnecting with Stakeholders," examines deliberative democracy, civic environmentalism, environmental justice, property rights and regulatory takings, and environmental conflict resolution. The final section, "Redefining Administrative Rationality," analyzes devolution, regulatory flexibility, pollution prevention, and third-party environmental management systems auditing. This book will benefit students, scholars, managers, natural resource specialists, policymakers, and reformers and is ideal for class adoption. ... Read more

Book Description

What do some of the most recognized and progressive companies in North America like Nike and Starbucks have in common? They have adopted The Natural Step as their business model. This book provides details of the step-by-step internal processes, tools, materials, learning, and results of four forward-thinking companies in their efforts to lead the sustainability revolution. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Detailed case studies
This successor to The Natural Step for Business is essentially a set of four extended case studies, preceded and followed by statements of principles derived from The Natural Step framework and case study experience.
Your reaction to it will depend on your appetite for case studies - mine is not great. The wider exposition of principles is mainly a restatement - and sometimes an elaboration - of principles that can be found elsewhere, including on the Internet sites of The Natural Step.
Those who are working directly with the framework as consultants or part of an internal team will pick up useful ideas and tips. The general reader would do better to start with the authors' first book or with Karl-Henrik Robèrt's The Natural Step Story: Seeding A Quiet Revolution.

Required Reading
'Dancing with the Tiger' is a useful and well-written contribution to the growing body of literature that attempts to answer the question so many of us are asking today - what can I do about creating a sustainable world? A world in which we give back to life instead of just taking. This book is particularly helpful for those people within organizations who want to change consciousness from what Paul Hawken has called the 'take-make-waste' culture, to a self-regenerating and life-affirming way of being.

The authors compare this process to 'dancing with a tiger', hence the title. The tiger takes many forms, for example the intensely competitive business environment many companies find themselves in. They give case studies of companies they have worked with as 'sustainability consultants', including Nike and Starbucks. It is encouraging to see the distance these multinational corporations have gone in their efforts...a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and steps are being taken on the long journey to real sustainability. They emphasize the complexity and interconnectedness of the challenge, and at the same time give credit to the many people within organizations who are passionately committed to creating a better world.

Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare's work is a helpful and informative counterbalance to the often critical reviews of corporate behavior. Their work is based on 'The Natural Step' framework, an enlightened and straightforward approach that any organization can use in their efforts to align their purpose and mission with sustainability.

It is inspiring to read quotes from employees and executives who have participated in this process within their organizations. I highly recommend this book to thoughtful readers who want to discover how to take responsibility for healing the planet.

Inspiring book for sustainability advocates
I'm more optimistic about the future, and inspired, after reading Dancing with the Tiger, which profiles sustainability measures introduced by - get ready for it - Nike, Starbucks, Whistler and CH2M Hill, a worldwide engineering company.

Dancing follows on the heels of The Natural Step for Business (NSP, 1997) in which Nattrass and Altomare profiled The Natural Step, a Swedish-rooted initiative to improve corporate environmental and social practices. In that first book, I was titillated to learn about the efforts of companies like Ikea to improve working conditions and reduce the scale of their environmental footprint. Nonetheless, I remained deeply skeptical that other corps, and suits in general, were even remotely interested in grokking social and environmental problems and lining up on the solution side of the equation.

Well, kudos to Nattrass and Altomare (and New Society) for titillating me again. In the first three chapters Dancing provides a current, comprehensive overview of environmental degradation while illuminating the beguiling, complex nature of so many environmental problems. One reason we are befuddled by sustainability problems, the authors say, is because the problems are generally systematic and characterized by uncertainty. In order to overcome problems, we must think systematically and evolve beyond conventional scientific thinking.

Nattrass and Altomare assert that we must also develop a new vocabulary and story-culture linked to sustainability to supplant the warrior-take-all mentality that presently guides much of our thoughts, actions and business. This leads into the remainder of the book, with subsequent chapters profiling the corporate actions on behalf of sustainability taken by Nike, Starbucks, the municipality of Whistler and CH2M Hill Engineering.

It is in this section where I found the biggest surprises. For example, I have longed linked Nike with all-too-common practices of environmental and social exploitation in service of corporate profits. Some of Nike's exploitative practices were revealed years ago, but clearly, the company has made efforts to evolve in more progressive directions. From cutting energy emissions to reducing pollution to helping improve educational opportunities for foreign workers, Nike is evolving, driven in large part because many of the suits, including CEO Phil Knight, instituted policies following the tenets of the Natural Step.

Ditto for Starbucks, CH2M Hill Engineering (with more than 9,500 staff worldwide) and the municipality of Whistler. That's right, Whistler. Evidently, if you can look beyond the SUV-choked parking lots, the groomed hotel ashtrays and some of the most garish displays of conspicuous consumption seen since the decline of the Roman Empire, something remarkable is going on at Whistler. In fact, Whistler now ranks as one of the most environmentally sustainable municipalities on earth.

Naturally, embracing sustainability didn't happen by accident here but falls out of the Whistler Environmental Strategy, crafted several years ago. Like the other examples, the WES was inspired by The Natural Step, and now guides municipal legislation. Addressing pollution reduction, landscape design, water use, environmental conservation, bear management and other issues, Whistler municipal practices are increasingly recognized as among the most progressive worldwide.

Common to the examples cited by Nattrass and Altomare were "ordinary people doing the extraordinary", visionary leaders and staff who persevered in service of sustainability and a core set of principles. The authors refer to them as "evolutionary pioneers, the forerunners who are exploring and drawing the maps of previously uncharted territory, making it easier for others to follow with more certainity." These people have the courage to look beyond the fear of disrupting corporate culture and strike out in a direction not commonly found in the world of business suits and bottom-line profits. This book makes a welcome and significant contribution to nudging the corporate world in the direction of a more sustainable world. I recommend buying a copy as a gift for the corporate executive or municipal planner of your choice.

- Michael Maser; Gibsons BC Canada

- END - ... Read more

Reviews (1)

provides insight into core issues of environment-development
Haven't had the chnace to procure the book, but since the central theme is quite close to my research interest, I am commenting on the basis of the Tableof Contenets and other books by the same author; ewhich seem prettyimpressive in terms of the title / subject matter.The sale of 130,000copies is equally impressive. ( Costing Earth..) I haven't kept uptodate inmy readings the way I should, but this particular/ unique area has not beencovered very often- not in the focus Ms Cairncross has taken - which alsocoincides with my personal interest. My comments could only be superficialat this point, not having had the chance to leaf through the book, as yet.Might rush to the library and cram it into my reading (Must) list.Quiteobviously, Ms Cairncross has probably picked up the interest from workingwith the Economist -and an interest in the environment,sooner or laterevolved into an understanding of the intertwining of these two issues.Itwould really be intersting to see the actual ideas flow on from this choiceof topic. The Table of Contents provided a good size catalogue of issues,which is a bit distracting to the succinct treatment of the central themeof the book - if one was intended, or rather, if the obvious ( as spelledout by the title of the book )theme was the focal point of the flow of new(?) ideas.There was a tendency towards the end of the book to attempt tocover all topics in the fear of neglect an issue.this had an unfortunateeffect of distracting away from the main focal theme.The conclusion couldbear one or belie this observation. in any case keep up the good work alongthis ' uniquely ' important topic. aidylcottage@usa.net.Would beinterested to get in touch with the author to further discuss thiscommentary. ... Read more

Book Description

Most of the world_s population now live in cities, but despite wide agreement on the core values of sustainable societies, municipalities are so busy solving current problems, they don_t have the time or resources to plan effective action for sustainability.

The Key to Sustainable Cities uses the principles of system dynamics to demonstrate how today_s problems were yesterday_s solutions. The book points to a new approach to city planning that builds on assets as a starting point for cities to develop healthy social, governance, economic, and environmental systems.

Gwendolyn Hallsmith has worked to build sustainable communities for over twenty years as a municipal manager, a regional planning director, and with the Institute for Sustainable Communities. She lives in Marshfield, Vermont.

Reviews (1)

A solidly written and accessibly presented resource
The Key To Sustainable Cities: Meeting Human Needs, Transforming Community Systems by Gwendolyn Hallsmith (Campaign Coordinator for the Vermont Earth Center) informatively studies what system dynamics can tell us about problems besetting cities today -- problems often caused or exacerbated by the solutions of a previous era. Scrutinizing illustrative case studies and offering new ways to evaluate environmental, economic, and social logistics in order to create cities that are best suited for not only present challenges but those that lie ahead in the foreseeable future, The Key To Sustainable Cities is a solidly written and accessibly presented resource which is very highly recommended reading -- especially for urban planners, community leaders, policy makers, environmental activists, and anyone else who is working for their city's future. ... Read more

Book Description

The ISO 14000 EMS Audit Handbook is an innovative and cost-effective approach for the Environmental Management System (EMS) audit to ISO 14001. The Handbook presents comprehensive strategies for conducting all phases of the EMS audit, including effective assessment processes for determining improved environmental performance, commitment to prevention of pollution, and continuous improvement. The audit concepts, techniques, and methodologies presented meet and exceed the requirements set forth by national and international accreditation bodies for the training and certification of EMS auditors and lead auditors. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume explores how development agencies are adapting to challenges, and particularly what issues face nongovernmental organizations.

Changes in the operational environment, specificallythe growth in complex emergencies, have changed how NGOs work. The contributors, using case studies to illustrate their analysis, look at both developmentactivity and war-related disaster relief to explore the limits and possibilities of the ‘charitable enterprise’ for future humanitarian efforts. New key issues facing NGOs, such as the extent to which NGOs themselves are now a force in development, their subsidization by national governments, their role in promoting democracy and human rights, and their increasing work in conflict management, are explored.

This clear and highly readable book is aimed at students of international development and at those working in development agencies. ... Read more

Book Description

The Corporate Planet brilliantly exposes the elaborate efforts of the giant corporations to "greenwash" themselves, and it demonstrates how they are using free trade agreements and World Bank loans to build a world order where they are accountable only to themselves. From Tokyo, where Mitsubishi processes rain forest logs from around the world, to a polluting Chevron oil refinery in California, to India, China, and Brazil, where global chemical companies are setting up shop, Joshua Karliner takes us on a stunning world tour. Here is a fascinating account of corporate greed and the unexpected powers of local activist to combat.

"The intensity and importance of The Corporate Planet comes from the passion and the skill with which it opens us to a vision of how dangerous to the future of our globe is global capitalism itself."--Norman Mailer ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Exhaustive and Brilliant
Karliner has a rare eye for absurdity that makes this more than a mere indictment of corporations. His description of how Chevron pacified an indigenous tribe in Papua New Guinea--by creating a Disneyland recreation of their own culture to impress them--is something so terrifying that no novelist could conceive it. He describes how, years later, the tribe had changed their traditional war paint to mimic the Chevron logo. This isn't just a dry treatise on the perils of globalization. It's a book filled with color, stories, and fascinating details about this bizarre time in the world. From the smell of gasoline seeping up through the richest homes in Playa Del Rey, California, to the history of Standard Oil, to the fight over the forests in the Northwest, to the structure of Japanese corporations--Karliner's book is an overlooked masterpiece that details so many unexpected facets of the global economy.

Excerpts of Various Reviews
Here are some excerpts from other reviews of The Corporate Planet

Thoughtful analysis of globalization's ecological and social impacts and of efforts by "corporate environmentalists" to control how problems and solutions are defined....With ecological sustainability, social justice, and democratic participation as his guiding principles, Karliner celebrates "grassroots globalization"--citizens demanding responsible environmental behavior from global corporations--becoming stronger and more articulate around the world.

-- Booklist

A fine effort....The book reads easily, without being breezy, moving from concrete illustrations of how giant global corporations are affecting the lives of ordinary people to more abstract discussion of underlying issues.

--The Ecologist

In The Corporate Planet, [Joshua Karliner] explains how transnational corporations like Dow clean up their image rather than their act.

--The Nation

A Magellan-like journey around the globe, giving readers a guided tour that identifies the protectors and poisoners of planet Earth.

--Monthly Review

A thoughtful examination of the new international balance of power in the global economy.

--San Francisco Bay Guardian

A seminal work about globalization
Joshua Karliner's "The Corporate Planet" was published prior to the Seattle WTO protests. The book's expert analysis of the relationship between private corporations and the plundering of the earth's resources successfully contextualized the protests as few other books written at that time were able.

Since then of course, many have written about globalization and its effects. But I think Karliner's work continues to stand out from the pack and has in fact gained strength as events continue to unfold. The ascendancy of the pro-oil industry Bush administration and its strident anti-environmentalist agenda seems to confirm his thesis: namely, that corporations and their elected cronies (or unelected cronies, in Bush's case) often proclaim themselves to be environmentally friendly on the one hand while simultaneously rolling back environmental protections on the other.

When push comes to shove, the quest to accumulate profits wins over the environment. Karliner does an excellent job of showing how corporate PR or "greenwash" and corporate sustainable development initiatives provide smokescreens for doing business as usual. But when given the opportunity, Karliner documents how companies such as Chevron lobby hard to roll back protections when given a favorable political situation like the one that existed when Republicans gained control of Congress in the mid-1990s.

The author supports his theory by effectively using case studies to illustrate how these dynamics play out in the real world. Large corporations such as Mitsubishi use their economic power to bend governments and citizens to their will, in the process impoverishing communities and environments as local resources are stripped away for the benefit of distant investors.

Karliner proposes a number of remedies that can help turn the situation around. He reasons that greater democratic input and corporate acocuntability is badly needed if we want people and the environment to be given primacy over the rights of the privileged few to reap the rewards of globalization for themselves. While Karliner may not have detailed a specified course of action -- no single person could be expected to do that -- it seems obvious that he has successfully defined the parameters of the struggle.

Intelligently written and supplemented with numerous footnotes and statistics, I believe it is not too much to say that "The Corporate Planet" is a classic work. I strongly recommended it for those who want to learn more about globalization and the central role corporations are playing in the destruction of the environment.

Kirkus Review of THE CORPORATE PLANET sucks
Globalization is, obviously, a complicated, misunderstood, and nuanced process. And while THE CORPORATE PLANET is not the last word on that process, or on the dynamics by which corporations are emerging as key shapers of that process, it is also true that it tells stories far too often ignored by Quisslings, diplomats, and book reviewers. I write this because I stumbled across the Kirkus review printed on THE CORPORATE PLANET's page here, and it pissed me off. Particularly irritating is the use of the word "shrill," an adjective that seems reserved for books which contest the common optimism that tells us that radicalism is impractical and unnecessary, and that we need not attend too much to the really dangerous corners of the Big Picture. More statistics? Karliner already has LOTS of statistics here. And if his book is "unhelpful" when it comes to suggesting political alternatives, this may be in part because such alternatives are still unclear, and thus necessarily difficult to spell out in specific form. The corporation is the dominant political form of the modern age, and a principle engine of ecological destruction. In such circumstances, just what kind of an "alternative" does one appeal to? In fact, there are some good ideas here, and some good stories too, important stories well chosen. The emergence of the true transnational corporation is one of the most important development in recent human history. If you wish to know what all the shouting is about, you could do worse than start here. ... Read more

Book Description

Global population growth and over consumption are putting our children at risk. But many are only dimly aware of the consequences of current human lifestyles on the Earth. Living a Sustainable Lifestyle: for Our Children's Children shows how sustainable development is a way of changing lifestyle habits so there will be less impact on nature. It cuts across many concerns facing society today, suggesting how we can move beyond present risks. The book describes sustainability, clearly demonstrating how humans can find the means to coexist in a manner that maintains biodiversity, wildlands, and decent environments, while also achieving economic prosperity and equality for the present and future. Going beyond science, technology, and politics, this book discusses how we live and why we live the way we do, addressing the basics of life: how to know what is in our water, air, food, and land. It also challenges the reader to seriously think about how humans and nature interact. The good news is, a shift to sustainable development is occurring. The book describes ordinary people, looking at how they live, how that in turn affects nature, and how fundamental nature is to our existence.We build on this growing awareness, bringing understanding to the people who can make the most difference: the average global citizen. “Living a Sustainable Lifestyle” poses tough questions, not for another debate, but to initiate reader awareness, understanding, and motion. We live in a time of enormous change. What we now do differently to alter the surging tide of material inequity and declining resources will not only affect our lives and our children’s lives, but may also establish the existence or nonexistence of a future for our children’s children. This book will make a difference by insuring a future for these unknowingparticipants in life by spreading the message of sustainabililty in a way that is not only understandable butalso very doable. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

READ THIS BOOK / Author's Bio
Dr. Flint has 30 years of research, education, & program implementation in environmental sciences, sustainable development education, coastal/watershed ecology, policy & management, conservation-based development, green building design, public consultation facilitation, community-based natural resources management, eco-tourism planning, conflict resolution, sustainable economic development, social justice strategies, & Internet technology applications.

Dr. Flint obtained his Ph.D. in Ecology in 1975 from the University of California at Davis.In his 30 year professional career, Warren has published more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and monographs and has also published an on-line, Internet newsletter entitled "Sustainability Review", subscribed to by more than 3,000 persons from 90 different countries around the world.

Flint has devoted many years to the innovative development/application of interdisciplinary environmental studies education through adoption of "ecology across the curriculum" strategies in support of formal education processes in sustainable development. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ervin Laszlo, a pioneer in complex systems philosophy and general evolution theory who has written or cowritten 36 books, believes we are in the midst of a massive worldwide transformation that will dramatically alter everything from lifestyle to economy. Such total upheaval has occurred only a few times before, he says, and in Macroshift he explains what this might mean and how we might manage its impact.

The gist, according to Laszlo, is that technology and globalization have unbalanced social structures, upended values and priorities, sparked resource exploitation, and "downgraded the livability" of our planet. The result is an unsustainable situation that could trigger political conflict, financial vulnerability, and deteriorating environmental problems during the coming decade unless "a new way of thinking" takes hold. "If we are not to join the myriad species that had once populated the Earth but became extinct," he predicts, "we will have to create a civilization that is more adapted to the conditions in which we find ourselves."

He then offers ideas to do so, including a shift from "competition to reconciliation and partnership" and development of "more responsible and humane community projects" around the world. The proposals are not for everyone, but if Laszlo is correct, this book offers serious food for thought that we all would be wise to ponder. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Doctrine to save the world
Overall, I think the book carries great meaning and great lessons. We need to have a new mindset - "macroshift", in order to save the planet. I totally agree.

Then why do I only give 3 stars? Because I still didn't see anything new. It is similar to other books, like "Limits to Growth" by Donella Meadows (Club of Rome). The author provides all different kinds of warning signs to ask people "Live simple. Love our Earth and other species". I know it's difficult to have a new pitch to ask people stop wasting or stop smoking, etc. However, we do need a more insightful/creative perspective to really change people.

Overall, I only recommend this book to people who are already buy-in "save the planet" concept.

The Definitive Guide to the Global Crisis...
As much as it is possible for a single book to give its reader a comprehensive and profound understanding of the impending global social, economic, and ecological crisis, this is that book.

According to Dr. Laszlo, human society has passed through three major stages --Mythos, Theos, and Logos--and is on the verge of its next, and perhaps final stage, Holos. But the transition from our Logos civilization to Holos, like those before it, is not quite as automatic as someone simply climbing the rungs of a ladder. According to _Macroshift, there is some real possibility that our civilization may fail to make the leap, in which case it will almost certainly 'break down' into global anarchy--we may have had a terrible foretaste of this in the September 11 attacks. (For a chilling picture of this kind of world, see the classic sci-fi film _The Road Warrior_). But, should it succeed, humanity will be privileged to witness the birth of the first truly global civilization--and a world whose possibilities surpass our dreams.

One of the best books I've read in a long time
This is an excellent book. It embodies what I pretty much believe but in such an eloquent and thoughtful way. I highly recommed it to anyone who is searching for a hopeful perspective regarding the future of our world.

Tom

Disappointed
After hearing Ervin Laszlo on NPR (whom I had never heard of before), I looked forward to reading his book. Although the interview with Kojo Namdi was interesting, I did notice that Laszlo had a tendency to pump himself up, but I attributed that to the nature of radio interviews. When I read the book, I was completely disappointed. The concept of "megashift" was little more than "Repent your ways, sinners, it is the end of the world!" Laszlo's theme was that the world was becoming more stressed and on the verge of a breakdown. He used examples from Chaos Theory, but even here he was very sloppy in the application. Further, he made no statement at all about what would happen if and the when the world did break down. Would there be world wars? Would there be food? Many other writers have approached the theory of conflict and systems change in a much better fashion, including Hegel, Marx, Kuhn, Fukuyama and Steven Johnson in his book "Emergence." None of these writers were even mentioned. (By the way, this is an actual quote from "About the Author": "Laszlo is generally recognized as the founder of systems philosophy and general evolution theory ... " If this is true, it is news to me --- and no doubt Darwin!)
The scholarship was weak and extremely self-serving. If I hear about Laszlo being the President and Founder of the Club of Budapest one more time in connection with his ideas, I think I'll move to ban the organization --- even though I have nothing against peace and harmony in the world.
The book was in many ways an insult to the intelligence and a waste of [money]. The only benefit I did receive was the incentive to learn more about Chaos theory from better sources.
I would not recommend the book unless a reader wants to study the art of subtle self-promotion.

Projects and details two possible futures
Macroshift: Navigating The Transformation To A Sustainable World by Ervin Laszlo (Science Director, International Peace University, Berlin, Germany) is a powerful and revealing look at the rapid pace of globalization and the profound shifts it has cause in the world economy and ecology. Laszlo projects and details two possible futures - the "Breakdown", where overly polarized wealth causes the supreme stratification of society and the world culture drifts toward anarchy, and the "Breakthrough", where humanity transforms itself into a new era of world prosperity. Macroshift is a ground breaking, fascinating, challenging examination of the past, present, and future of a rapidly modernizing world. ... Read more

Book Description

Monumental changes are occurring on the planet, yet most people are unaware of them. In God's Last Offer, environmentalist Ed Ayres paints a vivid "big picture" of where the world is headed. He identifies a lethal combination of events - radical climate changes, increasing species extinction, unsustainable consumption, and exploding human populations - and presents a blueprint for a radical shift of policies and priorities to avoid a cataclysm. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Clarity Amidst the Clamor
Information. There's so much of it, how do we decide what is important and what isn't? Where do we look? Ed Ayres' new book is a plea for a new vision -- a realistic vision of what kind of world we have already, and what kind of world we will have if we don't take action. The warnings here are not new: overpopulation, excessive consumption, massive extinction of species, and the impending climate upheavals caused by escalating carbon emissions. What IS new in Ayres' approach is his tight analysis of how people become distracted from these problems and end up refocused on the trivial, the derivative, or the flat-out fantastical. The book is especially strong when he calls for new KINDS of forms to deal with global problems. For example, as rivers begin to run dry and drinking water becomes even more scarce, it doesn't make sense for nation-states to compete for the water -- upstream vs. downstream. What is needed is a bioregional system whereby the entire watershed is seen as a whole, set within its natural context. Only these kinds of solutions are sufficient for the future. All in all, this is a well-researched yet passionate appeal.

Terrific Summation Of Where We Stand Environmentally!
For those of us who are vitally interested in the details surrounding the global assault on the biosphere caused by humankind and the massive environmental changes wreaked on the earth by technological innovation and mass consumerism, this is a critically important book to read. In clear, unemotional, and incontrovertible terms, author Ed Ayres lays out the nature of each of the four major environmental threats, and traces each of them to their manifesting sources. Using the data collected as the editorial director of the environmental group Worldwatch, the author mounts a sometimes passionate, and always convincing argument against the wall of negative environmental change being unleashed on the earth by science and technology gone absolutely wild.

After briefly summarizing the ways in which the overall environmental threats are interconnected with our overall problems and our unnecessarily wasteful materialistic lifestyles, he identifies the four most dangerous master processes (or mega-phenomena) that are quickly altering the basis for biological life on earth. First among these is the rise on carbon gas emissions, which he links to the overuse of private automobile transportation and the rapidly dwindling degree of forestation in the world, especially in the Amazon area of the new hemisphere. Among other things, this is quickly changing the nature of the world's weather, and this single fact is extremely worrying to Ayres. Next he describes the ways in which the various technological implementations have expedited the rate of species extinction, rapidly depleted and profoundly weakening the primordial basis for life on the planet itself.

Likewise, this profound intrusion into the nature of the biosphere threatens the foundations of biological life itself, and we must recognize how threatening this is to us as a species. Third, he points out the number of ways in which the ever-accelerating degree of human over-consumption of the world's limited resources, and has the unfortunate side effect of also despoiling and polluting the world's potable water (and food) supplies. Finally, he shows how the explosion in world population combined with the other three master processes will soon stress the third world countries toward a catastrophic collision with their own degrading environmental conditions.

Ayres also extends his argument to mount a stinging indictment of the relatively sophisticated and dangerously disingenuous efforts on the part of money-grubbing global corporations, international institutions, and various governmental bodies to mislead and misguide public perceptions and awareness of the increasingly dangerous situation. Their callous manipulation of the instruments of the media have lulled the masses of the so-called advanced countries into a frightening degree of apathy and complacency regarding the environment. In a world that revolves around making money and corporate profits, the last thing anyone in a position of authority and responsibility wants to have to publicly confront and recognize is the almost herculean effort (and the corresponding drastic alteration in our lifestyles and level of individual consumption) necessary in order to effectively change the practices and approaches of an economy so organized and so perpetuated.

In concluding, the author recommends a number of practical approaches that would be instrumental in turning the tide into amore positive direction. While admitting the social, political, and economic difficulties associated with so doing, he argues that what is necessary in order to avoid the environmental catastrophes otherwise directly confronting us, we must rapidly shift our perspectives, values, and practices and learn very quickly to relate to each other and to the world around us in a much more responsible and comprehensive fashion. This is a wonderful book and is one I highly recommend for anyone concerned about learning more about the massive ways in which the human assault on the ecosystem is threatening our continuing survival as a society and as a species.

Right Sentiment, Wrong Apocalypse
Ed Ayres gives us another example of breathless doomsaying replete with the usual warnings of environmental destruction and mass extinctions. What we really need to fear is the overwhelming hubris represented by people like Ayres! Yes, our climate is changing. It has changed many times in recorded history, with temperatures both higher and lower than the norms of today. The coast of Greenland was once habitable and verdant. In 1776, the Hudson River was frozen solid enough for soldiers to drag canon accross. The notion that our species can directly influence or "correct" global climatic shifts is ludicrous. Scientists can barely predict weather 48 hours in advance, yet they ask us to believe computer simulations of the Earth's climate projected 50 years into the future!

The real danger to our way of life is the unchecked and growing powers of bureaucracies that whittle away at our liberties under the guise of environmentalism or security. Ayers glosses over this larger and more imminent threat.

I was floored!
In this 1999 masterpiece of activist writing, Ed Ayres eerily predicts what the future holds if humanity continues upon it's suicidal path of rising carbon, consumption, population, and biodiversity loss. Reading this today (May 2003) will bring chills to your spine. Everything Ayres prognosticated in 1999 has come to pass: massive terrorism from non-aligned organizations (bin Laden-ism), widespread corporate deceit (Enron), rise of mega-viruses (SARS), and unimaginable species extinctions. And for those of us who aren't in denial and choose not to ignore, we realize the worst is yet to come. There is little chance of reversing this downward spiral... but doing nothing is too shameful to contemplate. This book should be required reading for all graduating college - or even high school - seniors.

Very important and timely analysis
After reading this very well researched, cogent analysis, I am increasingly convinced that the world is threatened as perhaps never before, that it is urgent that steps be taken immediately to move the earth away from its present perilous path, and that a shift to plant-based diets is an essential part of the changes that must be made.
Ed Ayres is extremely well qualified to write this book as he is editor of "Worldwatch" magazine, the semi-monthly publication of the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington-based thinktank that produces annual publications, including "State of the World", that aim to alert people to current critical environmental threats. Ayres is also editorial director of the Institute. His book makes it abundently clear why the following ancient rabbinic teaching that has been generally ignored over many centuries is extremely relevant today:
In the hour when the Holy one, blessed be He, created the first person, He showed him the trees in the Garden of Eden, and said to him: "See My works, how fine they are; Now all that I have created, I created for your benefit. Think upon this and do not corrupt and destroy My world, For if you destroy it, there is no one to restore it after you." Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:28
In his compelling, well written book, Ed Ayres stresses the importance of what he calls four megaphenomena that are having great effects on the world today and increasingly will threaten the world's future unless fundamental changes are made. These are four revolutionary changes or spikes in variables that had been relatively constant throughout history: the carbon spike, the extinction spike, the consumption spike, and the population spike. Here is a brief summary of Ayre's discussions of these four important spikes:
1) The carbon spike: There is an extraordinary worldwide concensus of climate scientists about global warming and its potential impacts. After a thorough study and several reviews of their findings, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a task force of leading climate scientists from 98 countries, unequivocally concluded that global warming is already rapidly occurring, that human activites that increase atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a major driving force, that global warming is a problem of enormous consequence that will continue to unleash devastating weather disturbances ranging from unnaturally heavy storms and floods to heat waves and droughts, and therefore it is essential that carbon emissions be cut sharply worldwide. There seems to be abundant reinforcement for these conclusions from many recent news reports of record temperatures, severe hurricanes and other storms, and severe droughts in Israel and other countries.
2) The extinction spike: While largely invisible to most people, this spike may ultimately be the most important one, because it threatens to unravel the web of life that sustains our everyday lives. Many biologists believe that we have entered the fastest mass extinction in the world's history, possibly even faster than the period when the dinosaurs died out.
3) The consumption spike: The global economy expands as much in a year today as it did in any entire century prior to 1900. This rapid increase in commerce is drawing down the earth's finite resources far faster than natural processes can regenerate them. Hence, along with rapid population growth, rising levels of unsustainable consumption contributes to many current environmental and climatic crises.
4) The population spike: while it took all of world history up to about 1800 for the world population to reach its first billion people, in recent years there have been increases of a billion people about every 12 years. While the world faces many critical environmental threats with its present 6 billion people, it is projected that there will be over 3 billion additional people by the middle of the 21st century.
Ayres skillfully shows how all of these spikes are interrelated. As world population grows and people consume more, more fossil fuels are burned, thereby increasing the carbon spike. As more land is used for housing, industry, and agriculture, habitats are destroyed furthering the extinction spike. When the temperature rapidly increases, many species are unable to migrate fast enough to higher altitudes or latitudes, and hence they begin to die off.
In addition to calling attention to these four megaphenomena that so threaten the world''s future, Ayres also analyzes why so little attention seems to be paid to these threats that are related to "the most world-changing events in the history of our species", and why so many people are unresponsive to the challenges that now loom before us. Among the reasons he thoroughly discusses and illustrates using many examples are the failure of the media to probe beyond immediate events for underlying causes and connections, the power of the fossil fuel industries and others who gain from a continuation of the status quo to control the U. S. economy and stands taken by politicians, media attention on side issues rather than critical issues, the fragmentation of knowledge caused by specialization so that few people see the big picture, and the creation of false extremes by corporate PR managers.
Ayres stresses that what we do now to confront the challenges of these spikes will determine whether human civilization can survive in the long term. In his analysis of the steps necessary to avert current global threats, Ayres, a long-time vegetarian who wrote an excellent article in the November 8, 1999 issue of Time magazine that argued that meat consumption will decrease in the 21st century due to the great environmental and other societal costs of animal-based diets and agriculture, emphasizes the importance of shifting to vegetarian diets. He indicates that the production and consumption of animal products is significantly related to increased disease rates, the wasteful use of water, land, and other respources, and many ecothreats.
In summary, I strongly recommend this book to every citizen, especially our political, religious, and industrial leaders, so that they will recognize the urgency of our current situation and the need for fundamental changes. It is especially recommended for vegetarians, because it provides much valuable information and arguments that can help in efforts to make other people aware of he importance of shifts to plant-based diets in order to reduce current global threats. ... Read more

Book Description

Fidel Castro, one of the principal advocated for the Third World, challenges the wealthy nations to come up with a more just global economic order:`We are fighting for the most sacred rights of the poor countries; but we are also fighting for the salvation of a First World incapable of preserving the existence of the human species. Overwhelmed by contradictions and self-serving interests, it is incapable of governing itself, and much less of governing the world, whose leadership must be democratically shared. We are fighting to preserve life on our planet."On an optimistic note he concludes: `The end of history, predicted by a few euphoric dreamers, is not here, yet. Perhaps history is just beginning.` ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fine survey of world's problems and their cause - capitalism
This book contains a selection of Fidel's speeches given between June 2000 and November 2001. A portrait of a great and humane man emerges from these pages. He addresses a remarkable variety of subjects, but always links them to their root cause, our continued tolerance of the unjust and unworkable economic disorder that is capitalism.

He defends Cuba's exceptional achievements in the fields of health and education, pointing out that in Cuba life expectancy is remarkably high. He upholds Cuba's democracy as more full and just than the parliamentary democracy that we increasingly reject.

He notes that more Cuban doctors and health workers are providing free medical services in Third World countries than at any previous time. They are training 5000 Latin American medical students to become doctors in Latin America. Cuban doctors have set up medical schools in Gambia and Equatorial Guinea to educate doctors to live and work in Africa, not to poach them, as the Blair government does. Cuban doctors are working to assist African countries to cope with the devastations of AIDS.

War, terrorism and economic crisis are all born of an unsuccessful and unsustainable political and economic order. Fidel deplores the fact that the US government holds the sole veto power in the IMF and the World Bank, which prevents these bodies from being changed from tools of destruction. Fidel asserts that theft of resources and of capital from Third World countries equals genocide, and looking at the huge numbers of unnecessary child deaths in those countries, one can only agree.

He warns against recourse to war as a solution to problems. Instead, he proposes that the UN Security Council, an executive body, should be subordinated to the democratic legislature of the General Assembly.

On the Middle East crisis, he points out that in 2001 the US government vetoed a draft resolution for setting up observers to protect the Palestinian people, and Blair's representative abstained! Since 1972, there have been 23 US vetoes on Resolutions aimed at solving the crisis there. The US alone blocks the two-state solution that the rest of the world demands.

A light that illuminates the contemporary world.
I read Castro's book as part of an ongoing series in my attempt to make sense out of the jumble of political puzzle pieces strewn aroud in my head. Only now after many books, many articles and finally this compilation of Castro's speeches can I say that I have a good idea of the picture that is emerging out of the welter of political "spin" that clouds our contemporary world.

I should have read this book three years ago when I started this mammouth mind-puzzle but I did not know that the book even existed. Had I known, it would have saved much time because Castro says what all the other writers say but in a far more concise manner.

I know, I know-there will be many who dismiss this comment because they believe that a marxist socialist can never be believed even when he is quoting United Nation's facts and figures; however, his facts, figures and interpretations are repeated over and over again by other writers from other countries on other continents. The sum of the information is just too great to ignore-read this wonderful, concise volume and you will be much the wiser for your effort. ... Read more

Book Description

Although apartheid has ended, South African cities have remained divided and new forms of segregation have emerged, and this study of urban fragmentation offers South African and international case studies that illustrate the theoretical and practical challenges of governance and equality in divided urban living. Issues discussed include housing, public transport policies, health care, and HIV/AIDS. Community activists, policy-makers, and urban planners will benefit from this provocative analysis of an important challenge to social justice and societal healing. ... Read more

Book Description

Despite ongoing negotiations, consensus has not yet been reached on what action will be taken to combat global warming. A number of companies have looked beyond the current stalemate to see the prospect of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions not as a roadblock to growth and innovation but as a unique opportunity to increase profits and productivity. These "cool" companies understand the strategic importance of reducing heat-trapping emissions and have worked to cut their emissions by fifty percent or more. In the process, they have not only reduced their energy bill, but have increased their productivity, sometimes dramatically.

In Cool Companies, energy expert Joseph Romm describes the experiences of these remarkable firms, as he presents more than fifty case studies in which bottom line improvements have been achieved by improving processes, increasing energy efficiency, and adopting new technologies. Romm places efforts to reduce emissions in the context of proven corporate strategies, showing managers how they can build or retrofit their operations with the latest technologies to reduce emissions and achieve quick returns on the investment. Case studies explain:

• the concept of "lean production" and why systematic efforts to reduce emissions so often lead to productivity gains
• how changes in office and building design can significantly increase productivity, greatly compounding gains achieved from increased energy efficiency
• options for "cool" power-from cogeneration to solar, wind, and geothermal energy
• energy efficiency in manufacturing, including motors and motor systems, steam, and process energy

In profiling successful companies such as DuPont, 3M, Compaq, Xerox, Toyota, Verifone, Perkin-Elmer, and Centerplex, among many others, Cool Companies turns on its head the notion that the effort to combat global warming will come with massive costs to the industrial sector. It is a unique and essential business book for anyone concerned with increasing profits and productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

simple approach and numerous examples
The book should enlighten those equating the green movement with adverse economic impact. It simply doesnt have to be the case. Companies like Shell and Dow are realizing, the early birds will gain serious competitive advantages when adopting "cooler" operating philosophies including: lower operating costs in general, increased productivity, and lower carbon costs when they ultimately get implemented. Numerous verified examples are provided that cement what should be a common sense belief that reduction of waste (all types) lead to leaner more competitive companies.

I approached my own boss with these ideas and received a chuckle in response. Its an uphill fight out there, hopefully the more people become informed, the easier it will be. This book is a great one to hand to a nay sayer. (I plan on sending a copy to both my boss and President Bush for Christmas)

Book Review
Skillfully written; shrewdly argued, but the premise just doesn't hold up. A few businesses could economically cut greenhouse gas emissions and will learn this sooner or later. This reduction, however, is a trickle in the ocean. Kyoto is only marginally more valuable. The only way to prevent global warming is to remove greenhouse gases from the air or otherwise cool the Earth; a multibillion dollar decades long research project is needed. The really interesting topic for Dr. Romm's next book could be why the conferences and media coverage about global warming never seem to mention this fact.

Improving your Bottom Line by Reducing Greenhouse Gases
By Stephen Corrick Reprinted with permission...Joseph J. Romm was an Assistant Secretary of theUS Department of Energy. He obviously learned his lessons well. Hisbook, Cool Companies, makes an overwhelming case: Not only willreducing greenhouse gases not hurt companies' ability to compete, the action of reducing greenhouse gases (and industrial energy waste generally) offers the single easiest productivity booster, and among the shortest payback periods of any available to American industry today.

Cool Companies offers insights into the detailed processes by which all company sites-from industrial giants like DuPont and 3M all the way down to individual apartment owners-have used greenhouse gas emission reduction to drive many more dollars to their bottom line.

The only question one is left with after Romm so effectively makes his case is why the coal and oil companies are playing Chicken Little and screaming that reducing greenhouse gases will hurt American business. Obviously, the only American businesses they are referring to must be their own. The Wall Street Journal and the American Chamber of Commerce would be well served to get the true picture and start representing the needs and interests of the majority of their customers-whose interests, at this point, are often diametrically opposed to those of the fossil fuel industry.

Run out and buy this book, before your competitors do
Romm has done a great service with this book. There are a lot of people telling us we must act on climate, and a lot of theory on how. Too often, it is abstract and esoteric -- Romm gives practical, easy to follow examples of how the best in class cut costs; cut carbon; and boosted productivity.

If you work anywhere in corporate management -- Whether you are the Chief Operating Officer, The Chief Financial Officer, the Plant Manager, or the Environmental Manager, you need to run out and buy this book, and then read it, before your competitors do.

You'll find case study after case study of how the best companies cut carbon. From building design, to the office environment, to industrial processes on the plant floor, this book tells -- often in the words of the managers themselves -- how they did what they did. Not only the technologies they chose, but how they sold other managers, developed creative financing strategies(often getting projects financed off ledger, out of future savings for example), and obtained credit for cutting other emissions.

If you are an environmentalist or a regulator facing the prospect of a climate treaty, the examples Romm outlines show why the arcane debate about the cost of cutting greenhouse gasses is flat out irrelevant. Cool Companies save money by becoming more efficent.

Bottom line? If you read only one book on cutting greenhouse gasses -- make it this one. ... Read more

Book Description

In spite of massive flows over the past 50 years, aid has failed to have any significant impact on development. Marginalization from the world economy and increases in absolute poverty are causing countries to degenerate into failed, oppressive and, in some cases, dangerous states. To address this malaise, Ashok Chakravarti argues that there should be more recognition of the role economic and political governance can play in achieving positive and sustainable development outcomes. Using the latest empirical findings on aid and growth, this book reveals how good governance can be achieved by radically restructuring the international aid architecture. This can be realized if the governments of donor nations and international financial institutions refocus their aid programs away from the transfer of resources and so-called poverty reduction measures, and instead play a more forceful role in the developing world to achieve the necessary political and institutional reform. Only in this way can aid become an effective instrument of growth and poverty reduction in the 21st century. Aid, Institutions and Development presents a new, thoroughly critical and holistic perspective on this topical and problematic subject.Academics and researchers in development economics, policymakers, NGOs, aid managers and informed readers will all find much to challenge and engage them within this book. ... Read more

Book Description

"The search for accountability in international institutions is a key topic in today's global agenda. This work provides a variety of useful and important examples of efforts to increase transparency and accountability in World Bank operations." -- Dr. Alvaro Umaña, Chairman, World Bank Inspection Panel

After a history of funding environmentally costly megaprojects, the World Bank now claims that it is trying to become a leading force for sustainable development. For more than a decade, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and grassroots movements have formed transnational coalitions to reform the World Bank and the governments that it funds. The Struggle for Accountability assesses the efforts of these groups to make the World Bank more publicly accountable.

The book is organized into four parts. Part I describes the NGOs and grassroots movements that are the book's central focus. Part II presents case studies of four projects that provoked the emergence of transnational advocacy coalitions: Indonesia's Kedung Ombo dam, the Mt. Apo geothermal plant in the Philippines, Brazil's Planaforo Amazon development project, and the remarkable campaign of Ecuador's indigenous people to influence national economic policy that led to their participation in the design of a development loan. Part III looks at the origins and politics of reform in four areas of broader World Bank policy: the rights of indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement, water resources, and the World Bank's institutional reforms that are supposed to encourage public accountability. In the last section, the editors discuss issues of accountability within transnational coalitions and assess the impact of advocacy campaigns on World Bank projects and policies.

Contributors: L. David Brown, Jane G. Covey, Jonathan A. Fox, Andrew Gray, Margaret E. Keck, Deborah Moore, Antoinette Royo, Augustinus Rumansara, Leonard Sklar, Kay Treakle, Lori Udall, David A. Wirth. ... Read more