It’s a Matter of Survival

by Anita Gordon, David Suzuki

"The greenhouse effect is us, and it is specifically us in the Western world" This is one of the messages at the beginning of Anita Gordon and David Suzuki's startling view of our future on Earth. More than any other time in history, the 1990s have marked a turning point for human civilization. Not only are we facing ecological disasters that will affect our ability to survive, but the crisis is forcing us to reexamine the entire value system that has governed our lives for the past two thousand years. Anita Gordon and Suzuki warn us of the transition we will need to make if we are to arrive safely in the next century. More than a book on the environment, this is a book about us as a our shortsightedness, our failure to read the warnings, our inability to grasp the significance of our actions-and the tough decisions we have to make in order to save ourselves. The power of the book lies in the consensus of the many voices, those of scientists and other scholars, that speak through it. The components of our predicament--global warming, soil erosion, acid rain, species depletion, ozone damage, rainforest destruction, overpopulation--are quantified with authority. And never before has such a strong consensus been expressed in a single warning. The message we receive is that our actions are taking place in a political and economic world that demands radical change. In an effort to counteract this blueprint for disaster, Gordon and Suzuki present a resounding rebuttal of technological optimism and the belief that continued economic growth is a prerequisite for environmental reform. The intellectual fog of sustainable development is incisively dispelled, and in its place the authors suggest practical contributions that individuals as well as governments can make toward creating a "conserver society."

278 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Anita Gordon is the originator, executive producer, and co-writer with David Suzuki of the acclaimed radio series It’s a matter of survival and the producer of the popular radio science program "Quirks & Quarks."

Reviews

[CATHERINE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written a while ago and makes for a pretty depressing read. The terrible things that humans have inflicted on the planet makes tough reading and seem incredible that anyone ever made the decision to do so. The call to do something to change the path of destruction we are on is more relevant than ever now. The Canadian government's decision to remove itself from the Kyoto agreement is shameful when read in this context. The book is easy to read and informative but when you have finished rather than energizing you into action you feel weighted down by the past wrongs done and a feeling of despair in face of what is to come which is only more of the same until it is too late.