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Since 1984, the State of the World reports have been published, and since 1984 the overall tone has been one of impending doom avoided only by the most drastic of human changes.
If you picked up this book expecting to get an authoritative understanding of environmental and population trends, then you have made a big mistake. This book tells one side of the story- clearly the most attractive as it pulls on that side of us that feels lost in a world we don't understand. If you *really* want to find out both sides of the story, you should search out the counterpoints in scientific litterature. Kudos to you for trying to find out everything about the subject before going on. I recomend Earth Report 2000- a counter publication written specifically in response to this book.
After reading both books I am quite convinced that, as a percentage of all there is to know about the planet, we basically understand as much as we did 40 years ago. The information provided in this book is based on theories that, as a young human race, we can not validate for many years to come.
Read this book for ideas, but not answers. That is unless you are a doomsayer looking for an amen experience- in which case this baby is right up your alley.
Lester Brown et al write what amounts to saying that we are "going to Hell in a handbasket." The truth of the matter is that each age thinks it is on the "eve of destruction." (Don't remember that song? Okay, you are not as old as I am and
you do not remember how seriously we took this matter when this song came out.)
BTW, the picture painted by Lester Brown et al is one-sided. For example, I noted an AP article about the thickening of the Antarctic ice which means that the polar ice caps are not shrinking. The reader may not expect this type of information from this book. If one looked at _World Balance Sheet_ among other books, one would not see this type of driven agenda.
The world has always known people who were concerned about the shape of the environment. Some BCE writers are known.So are we on the "eve of destruction"?
or are we having to make decisions as we have so often before?
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I first saw Yann Arthus Bertrand work during an outdoor exhibit in Paris. I was fascinated with the photos, and the next day I ran to buy the book (although some people to whom I have recommended it find it rather expensive).
Certainly, the photos are sensational, but that is hardly the point. Yann is a true citizen of the world, and represents globalisation in its 'kindest' -and most 'useful' form, if I'm allowed the expression.
In this book, Yann Arthus shows us that earth is sick. Whether it is the Amazon rainforests, Alaska, Africa or Australia, clear signs of decomposition appear in the photos. This book is a waking call for many of us, however, at the same time it reminds us how beautiful is everything around us, and how rich is this planet we live in.