The Optimistic Environmentalist
Progressing Toward a Greener Future
by David R. Boyd
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Pub Date Aug 11 2015 | Archive Date Jun 01 2015
Description
A hopeful, inspiring, and honest take on the environment
Yes, the world faces substantial environmental challenges — climate change, pollution, and extinction. But the surprisingly good news is that we have solutions to these problems. In the past 50 years, a remarkable number of environmental problems have been solved, while substantial progress is ongoing on others.
The Optimistic Environmentalist chronicles these remarkable success stories. Endangered species — from bald eagles to gray whales — pulled back from the precipice of extinction. Thousands of new parks, protecting billions of hectares of land and water. The salvation of the ozone layer, vital to life on Earth. The exponential growth of renewable energy powered by wind, water, and sun. The race to be the greenest city in the world. Remarkable strides in cleaning up the air we breathe and the water we drink. The banning of dozens of the world’s most toxic chemicals. A circular economy where waste is a thing of the past. Past successes pave the way for even greater achievements in the future.
Providing a powerful antidote to environmental despair, this book inspires optimism, leading readers to take action and exemplifying how change can happen. A bright green future is not only possible, it’s within our grasp.
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781770412385 |
| PRICE | CA$23.99 (CAD) |
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Average rating from 4 members
Featured Reviews
Jessica G, Media/Journalist
David R. Boyd wrote The Optimistic Environmentalists with the premise that people are more likely to move forward if they think that there is hope. Boyd is not, as he states early on, a rose-colored glasses kind of writer. As an environmental lawyer for more than twenty years, he is in a position to know what efforts to preserve the environment are showing success and where further work is merited. And he is optimistic about our chances of becoming good stewards of the Earth.
Boyd does not claim everything is working wonderfully—there are plenty of points in the book that make one wince. Yet, he shows where efforts to clean water, restore habitat, move toward renewable energy, to create long-use, fully recyclable items, and, in general, to change matters for the better are bearing fruit, sometimes much faster than anticipated. His goal is to encourage further change. As he writes, "we need to be optimistic about our prospects for becoming better environmental stewards, so that we'll take the actions required to save the planet." Boyd backs his claims up with studies showing what is working, where, and how.
All of these numbers and studies mean that The Optimistic Environmentalist is not always the liveliest of reading. There are few personalities here and the book tends toward a more abstract view of events. The prose is serviceable rather than lyrical. The book does, however make Boyd's point: People are making progress, and we are capable of making more. As someone who has teetered between trying to keep up with recycling, doing the small bits involved in keeping an environmentally friendly front yard, and resolutely not reading about global warming simply because there seems to be no hope of managing it, I appreciate the good news, all the more so because it is grounded.
So, I'm all in favor of The Optimistic Environmentalist as an argument for continuing.
The Optimistic Environmentalist comes out from ECW Press on August 11, 2015. Find it it on Amazon; on Powell's on Barnes & Noble
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