Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto
Stewart Brand
Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto
'Being Green' is no longer enough. "Whole Earth Discipline" is Stewart Brand's wake-up call for the environmental movement, and his message is hard-hitting: unless environmentalists keep up with new science, they will become part of the problem. Three profound transformations are underway on Earth: climate change, urbanization and biotechnology. In response to these seismic changes - and challenges - Steward Brand argues that the environmental movement must reverse some long-held opinions, and embrace tools and disciplines that it has traditionally distrusted - such as science and engineering - in order to forestall the cataclysmic deterioration of the earth's resources. "Whole Earth Discipline" aims to shatter a number of environmental myths by presenting radical, counterintuitive observations: cities are actually greener than the countryside, nuclear power is the future of energy, and genetic engineering is the key to crop and land management. Brand shows us where the sources of our dilemmas lie and offers a bold set of policies and solutions for producing a more sustainable society.
4.2 out of 5 based on 6 reviews
|
Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Society, Politics & Philosophy, Science & Nature |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
336 |
| RRP |
£19.99 |
| Date of Publication |
January 2010 |
| ISBN |
978-1843548157 |
| Publisher |
Atlantic |
| |
'Being Green' is no longer enough. "Whole Earth Discipline" is Stewart Brand's wake-up call for the environmental movement, and his message is hard-hitting: unless environmentalists keep up with new science, they will become part of the problem. Three profound transformations are underway on Earth: climate change, urbanization and biotechnology. In response to these seismic changes - and challenges - Steward Brand argues that the environmental movement must reverse some long-held opinions, and embrace tools and disciplines that it has traditionally distrusted - such as science and engineering - in order to forestall the cataclysmic deterioration of the earth's resources. "Whole Earth Discipline" aims to shatter a number of environmental myths by presenting radical, counterintuitive observations: cities are actually greener than the countryside, nuclear power is the future of energy, and genetic engineering is the key to crop and land management. Brand shows us where the sources of our dilemmas lie and offers a bold set of policies and solutions for producing a more sustainable society.
Reviews
The Financial Times
Clive Cookson
"You do not have to agree with Brand to enjoy Whole Earth Discipline. While it contains flaws and fallacies (for example, about the timing and impact of BSE in Europe), overall the writing is so entertaining and thought-provoking that I can see it being quoted 30 years from now, just as the Whole Earth Catalog is today."
27/01/2010
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The Scotsman
Roger Cox
"[A] landmark book… Brand is by no means the first person in the Green Movement to make the case for nuclear as a solution to climate change … Where Brand improves on Lovelock, however, is in his ability to think around the problem… The third and final sacred cow of the Green Movement Brand aims his bolt gun at is distrust of genetic engineering. He certainly conjures up a very seductive vision of a world where every conceivable problem has a corresponding bio-fix, but somehow he fails to land a killer blow."
27/01/2010
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The Sunday Times
Danny Fortson
"A thoroughly researched, highly entertaining manual that takes on many of the environmental movement’s biggest taboos… A trained scientist, he is assiduous in backing up his arguments with a constant drumbeat of persuasive facts."
27/01/2010
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The Guardian
Jon Turney
"Brand's arguments are good, and his mind-changing, let's-all-learn-from-my-mistakes rhetoric is pretty persuasive. How effective will it be? I am uncertain, because I am unsure how far environmentalists will accept his claim to be one of their own."
27/01/2010
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The Literary Review
Bryan Appleyard
"Whole Earth Discipline is immensely entertaining, moving and slightly confusing. The confusion is twofold. First, Brand is an unreconstructed cataloguer. The book is, at one level, simply a list of developments in biotechnology, climate science, urbanisation, agriculture and so on... Secondly, much of the book is about the author's changes of mind. He is now, for example, pro-nuclear power and genetically engineered foods. This is honourable but it does cast a slight shadow of doubt over his latest enthusiasms. That said, the book brilliantly defines our present predicament - our need to deploy science to clean up the mess made by science."
27/01/2010
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The New Statesman
Becky Hogge
"A rich, compelling guide to how old wisdom can combine with new technologies to help civilisation survive man-made climate change. But it should be read as much for its dissection of the way ideologies distort decision-making on science and technology… Most compelling is the book's defence of GM agriculture."
27/01/2010
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