Weisman reiterates, through examples from his travels, the absolute necessity of ecological biodiversity to our survival. The more resources our species consumes, the more significant the consequences are to those millions of other species on Earth.
Availability of water, clean or otherwise, is directly related to the number of people inhabiting the planet, as is the surging need for food and resources. With this inevitable and exponential growth come the other universal complications, which he addresses at length. These elements return throughout the book as overarching global problems, regardless of the geography or the culture in question.įoremost, of course, is the planet’s “population momentum” issue, wherein even if babies across the globe were suddenly being born at or below the replacement rate, our numbers would continue to increase. Beginning in the volatile and densely populated lands of Israel and the Palestinian territories, Weisman introduces the elements that will profoundly impact how the human species and the planet itself move forward. Through talking to political and spiritual leaders, a diverse array of scientists and a variety of people simply trying to survive the modern world, he has assembled a very concise, comprehensive and sobering treatise that should serve to empower all of humanity to participate in the global effort that will be needed to correct course.Īllowing the grave statistics to speak for him, Weisman assembles the data in his familiarly vivid and engaging style. To prepare for his book, Weisman took that very question around the world to 21 countries. From the opening pages, he dives into the very controversial and uncomfortable topic of overpopulation and how it threatens our survival on our stressed and overworked planet.Įver since the 18th century, when Thomas Malthus raised the contentious and unpopular topic of population control, there has been an ongoing debate in both the scientific and religious communities about how many people the planet can hold. In his new book, “Countdown: Our Last Best Hope for a Future on Earth?” Weisman addresses the concept of the future of the Earth with us still here - plus a few billion more people.
Though some would suggest we are not on the brink of imminent destruction - the hypothetical aftereffects of which are discussed in Alan Weisman’s thought-provoking first book, “The World Without Us” - mankind’s stability is nonetheless being shaken with each new baby being born and every drop of water being consumed. The mounting evidence, when carefully examined, is increasingly unavoidable and indisputable: The Earth is becoming a progressively more unstable home for its many inhabitants.
The debate seems to be waning regarding the validity of climate change. 'Countdown" Our Last Best Hope For a Future on Earth?' by Alan Weisman.
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