Flannery (The Weather Makers
) makes a valuable contribution to global warming literature with this slim and eloquent brief that challenges readers to dispense with the dangerous notion that “the earth was made for us”—a convenient extrapolation of social Darwinism that the author argues is used to justify reckless treatment of the environment and smacks of embarrassing impracticality and myopia. He states that humans were made to shepherd the Earth through environmental crises and contribute to the efficiency of its massive metabolism; humans are the brains of this complex system and must make bold choices to either save the corpus totum
or destroy it. A re-evaluation of human purpose on Earth is required, Flannery maintains, with a true understanding of sustainability removed from trendy “green” marketing connotations. Flannery's compelling arguments and accessible language will move the passive bystander, persuade the skeptic and rouse the activist. (Oct.)
