Free (ADE-DRM ePub) Hope on Earth: A Conversation [Ecology & Ethics Science Dialogue]

[ATDrake]

Hope on Earth: A Conversation by biologist Paul R. Ehrlich (Wikipedia), who happens to be Bing Professor of Population Studies in the department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University according to his entry, & Michael Charles Tobias (IMDB, Wikipedia) an ecologist and filmmaker, is their accessibly-written compilation of their conversations on various topics having to do with current politically-hot environmental and ecological sciences issues and the accompanying ethics, ranging out into wider social and cultural subjects as well, free courtesy of publisher University of Chicago Press.

This is their featured Free Book of the Month selection for September, and is mostly done in transcript format of literal conversations between the two (with additional comments by professor John Harte, who doesn't have a Wikipedia entry proper, but was a Guggenheim Fellowship awardee according to the disambiguation page) going in-depth on many topics (including some tangential ones like chickens, albeit not the evil manifest kind), with a few backgrounder write-ups and illustrative photos supplied.

Currently free through September directly @ the university press' dedicated promo page (ADE-DRM ePub available worldwide in exchange for your valid email address), and you can also read more about the book on its catalogue page.

And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

It had some stiff competition from the Phoenix Pick freebie of the month since that one's a vintage classic, and the Tor eBook Club of the Month selection, since that one's by a fellow Canadian. OTOH, Lest Darkness Fall has been offered as a tie-in deal a couple of times and probably most people have read it by now, the Tor freebie got posted elsewhere by someone who knows the series well, and this book is new and provides an interesting look at how some highly knowledgeable people look at things both in their areas of expertise and outside them, and also informs us about detrimental current issues that perhaps can still be partially staved off much as Martin tried to stave off his original timeline's past.

Enjoy!

Description
Hope on Earth is the thought-provoking result of a lively and wide-ranging conversation between two of the world’s leading interdisciplinary environmental scientists: Paul R. Ehrlich, whose book The Population Bomb shook the world in 1968 (and continues to shake it), and Michael Charles Tobias, whose over 40 books and 150 films have been read and/or viewed throughout the world. Hope on Earth offers a rare opportunity to listen in as these deeply knowledgeable and highly creative thinkers offer their takes on the most pressing environmental concerns of the moment.

Both Ehrlich and Tobias argue that we are on the verge of environmental catastrophe, as the human population continues to grow without restraint and without significant attempts to deal with overconsumption and the vast depletion of resources and climate problems it creates. Though their views are sympathetic, they differ in their approach and in some key moral stances, giving rise to a heated and engaging dialogue that opens up dozens of new avenues of exploration. They both believe that the impact of a human society on its environment is the direct result of its population size, and through their dialogue they break down the complex social problems that are wrapped up in this idea and attempts to overcome it, hitting firmly upon many controversial topics such as circumcision, religion, reproduction, abortion, animal rights, diet, and gun control. For Ehrlich and Tobias, ethics involve not only how we treat other people directly, but how we treat them and other organisms indirectly through our effects on the environment. University of California, Berkeley professor John Harte joins the duo for part of the conversation, and his substantial expertise on energy and climate change adds a crucial perspective to the discussion of the impact of population on global warming.

This engaging and timely book invites readers into an intimate conversation with some of the most eminent voices in science as they offer a powerful and approachable argument that the ethical and scientific issues involved in solving our environmental crisis are deeply intertwined, while offering us an optimistic way forward. Hope on Earth is indeed a conversation we should all be having.

[ATDrake]

Just a reminder that today will probably be the last day to pick up the freebie if you haven't already.