Editorial Review:

How serious are the threats to our environment? Here is one measure of the problem: if we continue to do exactly what we are doing, with no growth in the human population or the world economy, the world in the latter part of this century will be unfit to live in. Of course human activities are not holding at current levels--they are accelerating, dramatically--and so, too, is the pace of climate disruption, biotic impoverishment, and toxification. In this book Gus Speth, author of Red Sky at Morning and a widely respected environmentalist, begins with the observation that the environmental community has grown in strength and sophistication, but the environment has continued to decline, to the point that we are now at the edge of catastrophe.

 

Speth contends that this situation is a severe indictment of the economic and political system we call modern capitalism. Our vital task is now to change the operating instructions for today's destructive world economy before it is too late. The book is about how to do that.

(20080129)

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Sobering facts on the state of the planet:

An Ivy League dean trained as a lawyer, James Gustave Speth lays out evidence to show that life on this planet is being pushed to an end. Marshalling sobering facts, he illustrates how humankind has taxed the Earth's resources beyond its capacity to regenerate. By creating a culture that worships consumption, capitalism has combined with political self-interest and misguided policies to hasten the environment's demise. An international community of scientists has provided staggering proof of global warming,... more info

Speth is better than a mere "critic".:

Speth provides a critique of western social, economic and political models. While explaining the very real dangers of sustaining the present trend what is even more important is his ability to convey hope and a vision of what we might be able to achieve rather than mere doom-saying and. This is an important lesson critics of all political stripes need to learn - its not enough to warn of the impending disaster, its a vision of the future and how to get there that is the stuff that political change is made... more info

The view on this bridge is inspiring.:

The view from the Bridge at the Edge of the World is inspiring. Dean Speth offers hope if you are willing to work hard to make the world a better place for humans and all other life. He challenges the cultural values that lead us to avarice and greed and insists that we can do better, we can do much better. We can rise up to become proper stewards of the Earth.
As a four decade environmentalist he is disappointed with the limited successes of the environmental movement. The movement has not even held... more info

excellent discussion of environmental crisis and role of capitalism:

The Bridge at the Edge of the World, by James Gustave Speth, is begins with an excellent review of the depth and immediacy of the environmental crisis that faces humanity. The initial graphs give a clear and sobering pictorial representation of the the growing calamity. Paper use, water consumption, species extinction, ozone depletion, CO2 concentration - all of these are on the rise along with our increasing population.
Speth lays out the argument that our overuse of the finite resources of the planet... more info

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