The God Species

Description

"The God Species" casts a timely and significant new vision of our connection to the planet, written by one of the world's leading science journalists. This new book represents a major game-change in our approach to the environment. Acclaimed "Six Degrees" author Mark Lynas takes his environmental vision - and deep research - to a new level, offering us a robust and integrated view of the environment that will ensure the sustainability of the planet. With a spirit of optimism, "The God Species" represents a new grand synthesis that will foster greater understanding of the Earth's finely tuned systems and, in turn, rally individuals and governments to take the necessary actions to protect them.

Mark Lynas has worked for nearly a decade as a specialist on climate change, and is author of three books on the subject: High Tide: News from a Warming World (2004), Carbon Calculator (2007), and Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet (2007). Lynas writes a fortnightly column for the New Statesman magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Guardian. He is also a Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University's School of Geography and the Environment.

"If there is one reason to read Mark Lynas ' book The God Species, it's because of his exposition of the 'planetary boundaries' concept." -Scientific American "I believe it would behoove anyone who has an opinion about the future of our planet to read The God Species." -Forbes "Lynas's book is at the top of my must-read pile." -Dot Earth blog, Andrew Revkin, New York Times "An accurate portrayal of the state of the planet and a call to action using all means possible before boundaries are crossed with irreversible results." -Kirkus "Readers who were previously unaware of the scope of humanity's effects on the world--on its climate, its biogeochemical cycles, the chemistry of its oceans, the color of its sky, the flow of its rivers, the number of its species and more--may find themselves shocked by its relentless exposition. Meanwhile many readers who are already alarmed by the state of the environment will find themselves shocked by what Mr. Lynas wants to do about it...his views are certainly not yet common currency, and...that makes his position both more interesting and more compelling." -The Economist "For all the angst this book may cause his Green allies, there can be no doubting his seriousness about climate change...This is a clear-eyed, hard-headed assessment of the ecological challenges facing us - and all the more bracing for it...vigorously provocative" -London Evening Standard "The power of Lynas's voice comes not just from his famously deep research... but also his authority as a campaigner." --Sunday Times of London "The most attention-grabbing passages in the book come in Lynas's denunciations of the green movement." -The Guardian "Lynas is to be commended for producing a work that challenges so many green movement taboos and for recognising the importance of hard science - such as nuclear power and genetic engineering - and sound economics as potential saviours of the planet. This is an insightful, honest book." -Guardian.co.uk "offer[s] planet-scale strategies for a sustainable future...sure to spark debate...at the heart of the book is the optimistic belief that humans are capable of understanding Nature and able to repair the damage that we have done and continue to do..." -Technorati Green "Eco-activist and journalist Mark Lynas, famous for shoving a pie in the face of sane skeptic Bjorn Lomborg, has...changed some of his positions...Nuclear power? Certainly part of the solution...As is genetic modification...That's a win for science, for the future of policy and responsible stewardship of mother Earth." -Science2 "Mark Lynas has written the clearest exposition so far of the environmental choices we face...He is wonderfully sane and cogent on difficult issues." -American Public Media