Earth Report 2000: Revisiting the True State of the Planet

by Michael Novak and Ronald Bailey

Aimed at general-interest readers, this lively collection calmly and accurately assesses the ecological state of our planet. 42 illustrations. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071342605
• ISBN13: 9780071342605
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The TRUE state of the planet!!

"Earth Report 2000" was written by ten scientists, each with excellent credentials, each writing on a different environmental topic. Here are the ten section titles:1. Population, Food and Income2. Pesticides: Increasing Food Supplies While Preserving Biodiversity3. Global Warming4. The Coming Age of Abundance5. Causes and Prevention of Cancer6. Forests7. Conserving Biodiversity8. Water Options9. Rescuing the Oceans10. Global Air QualityIt's a tour-de-force of all the important environmental concerns, and paints a much more optimistic scenario than we hear from some environmentalists and politicians. The book was edited by Ronald Bailey, who has also written on the subject in his book,"Eco-Scam: The False Prophets of Ecological Apocolypse."Ron Bailey was formerly producer of a national PBS series called "Technopolitics." His style is confrontational and expresses more than just skepticism. He points out various statements of some politicians and more extreme environmentalists that suggest they are willing to resort to deception to gain public support for an anti-growth environmental program aimed at the goal of a more egalitarian society. He may be a little TOO confrontational for some readers, but exposure to his points seems to me to be essential for ANYONE to reach an informed view about the environment. I srongly recomment it!!!

A different ideology but one to take into account

TANSTAAFL - It's just that simple.This acronym, meaning "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch" is at the heart of this book- understanding and embracing it not as a phylosophy, but as a law of the universe.Earth Report contributors understand that there is absolutely nothing in this world that comes without some cost. This understanding helps them make suggestions that encourage using laws of supply and demand to improve our economy.Overfishing: There is always a cost to fishing. When no one is responsible for absorbing the costs of fishing, the cost is in the fish resources- populations of fish dwindle and we run out of the supply. But if someone has a vested interest in a fishing area, they can pass the cost onto the human economy. Their profits ensure that the area remains sustainable. Healthy fish need a healthy environment. Would you let someone dump toxic waste into your private fishery? Of course not.Environment: This old topic has been hashed over again and again- usually with people arguing about whether or not humans are responsible for warming. But beyond this is the compelling argument of, "WHo Cares!" What is the cost of trying to stop HUMAN caused global warming? Huge. But we know that in the past, the earth has warmed even more without our help. If we pay the cost to stop human global warming, and natural global warming (or even worse- cooling) occurs, will our crippled economy be able to handle it? Most likely not. There is a real and dangerous cost to limiting our economy- one that this book points out when comparing the affects of natural disasters on robust economies versus weak ones. Any guess which one is more apt to deal with natural disasters?This book is one sided, and presents one point of view. Read it along with the other information out there and I think you will be well on your way to forming your own opinions.

Quality Perspecitive on the Environment

This is an excellent summary of the major areas of current concern on the environment and it gives a much more balanced view of the global situation that anything I have read before. Environmentalists tend to just point a bleak picture while business leaders seem to be viewed as not caring at all. In this book many of the real accomplishments of managing the earth's resources are discussed in detail and in an easy to read and understandable format. Also purchasing it as an e-book makes even more sense because there are no polluting inks or papers involved and very little energy is required to get the book to you. This is the kind of overview and perspective that readers need to get a more balanced view of the major planetary concerns now facing us. I hope it is on the reading list of the governmental leaders who have the challange of shaping many policies that have global impacts. I strongly recommend reading this book and would suggest it as reading material for college courses as well.

If you're not caught up in doing the "Apocalypso" . . .

. . . you'll enjoy this informative, well researched book. Offers a wealth of layman-friendly data on climate, population and other sensitive subject matter and best of all, expert assurance that the sky ISN'T falling, and what we should be doing instead of panicking.

Best on the Subject.

This is the best book available on debunking apocalypse scares. The chapters on climate change and population growth are particularly valuable. Each chapter is written by an expert, in clear nontechnical fashion. Plus there is a wealth of data.