Eaarth - Bill McKibben

Eaarth

By Bill McKibben

  • Release Date: 2010-04-13
  • Genre: Nature
Score: 3.5
3.5
From 95 Ratings

Description

"Read it, please. Straight through to the end. Whatever else you were planning to do next, nothing could be more important." —Barbara Kingsolver

Twenty years ago, with The End of Nature, Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about global warming. Those warnings went mostly unheeded; now, he insists, we need to acknowledge that we've waited too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable but already under way. Our old familiar globe is suddenly melting, drying, acidifying, flooding, and burning in ways that no human has ever seen. We've created, in very short order, a new planet, still recognizable but fundamentally different. We may as well call it Eaarth.

That new planet is filled with new binds and traps. A changing world costs large sums to defend—think of the money that went to repair New Orleans, or the trillions it will take to transform our energy systems. But the endless economic growth that could underwrite such largesse depends on the stable planet we've managed to damage and degrade. We can't rely on old habits any longer.

Our hope depends, McKibben argues, on scaling back—on building the kind of societies and economies that can hunker down, concentrate on essentials, and create the type of community (in the neighborhood, but also on the Internet) that will allow us to weather trouble on an unprecedented scale. Change—fundamental change—is our best hope on a planet suddenly and violently out of balance.

Reviews

  • The Ethical Impact of Eaarth

    5
    By KA-also
    It breaks my heart that I, who love this planet so have come so late to actually doing something. Sure I've changed my life style and reduced my carbon foot print (not enough), and I've been working with businesses to make some changes, but none of it has been enough. This book has been a painful read but also a soul saver. Resilience doesn't happen if you are not clear about reality. This book helps with that. But more importantly it helps with next steps. The change is here - now what? Billy's almost poetic writing and very positive attitude makes the hard stuff easier and the next move realistic and possible. Read this book! Read it all the way through. It offers more than hope, it offers inspiration and simple action. It stimulates an ethical impact!
  • I love it..

    5
    By MJBU
    I just got the book, and I have begun reading the first chapter and so far so good, it look like a very promising book, packed with fact and and the meantime written down in an easy way that everyone can understand it...... Give a try, it would be worth it, I guaranteed you...
  • Must read

    5
    By JumpinJimRivers
    This book couldn't be more crammed with hard-to-believe (and sometimes downright frightening) yet verifiable facts regarding the reality of global warming and of the state of our planet. A good read regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, and really, something that needs to be read by everyone. McKibben presents a plethora of evidence that shows how we've significantly changed our planet and are in danger of changing it into something irreparable. We can still prevent the worst case scenario, but as McKibben makes plain, even in the best case scenario the Earth we will end up with will not be the Earth we used to know.
  • Fantastic!!

    5
    By Vermont BCBA
    As always, McKibben is spot on.
  • This must be read

    5
    By Newshound2
    If those who don't "believe" in climate change have you doubting the veracity of the science, this book will quickly convince you that climate change is not only real, but it is the most pressing problem confronting the human race. Somehow, McKibben is able to marshall facts and figures in a way that's both comprehensive and easy to read.

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