Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity

by Eric Chivian (Editor), Aaron Bernstein, Edward O. Wilson

The Earth's biodiversity-the rich variety of life on our planet-is disappearing at an alarming rate. And while many books have focused on the expected ecological consequences, or on the aesthetic, ethical, sociological, or economic dimensions of this loss, Sustaining Life is the first book to examine the full range of potential threats that diminishing biodiversity poses to human health.

Edited and written by Harvard Medical School physicians Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, along with more than 100 leading scientists who contributed to writing and reviewing the book, Sustaining Life presents a comprehensive--and sobering--view of how human medicines, biomedical research, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and the production of food, both on land and in the oceans, depend on biodiversity. The book's ten chapters cover everything from what biodiversity is and how human activity threatens it to how we as individuals can help conserve the world's richly varied biota. Seven groups of organisms, some of the most endangered on Earth, provide detailed case studies to illustrate the contributions they have already made to human medicine, and those they are expected to make if we do not drive them to extinction. Drawing on the latest research, but written in language a general reader can easily follow, Sustaining Life argues that we can no longer see ourselves as separate from the natural world, nor assume that we will not be harmed by its alteration. Our health, as the authors so vividly show, depends on the health of other species and on the vitality of natural ecosystems.

With a foreword by E.O. Wilson and a prologue by Kofi Annan, and more than 200 poignant color illustrations, Sustaining Life contributes essential perspective to the debate over how humans affect biodiversity and a compelling demonstration of the human health costs. It is the winner of the Gerald L. Young Book Award in Human Ecology Best Sci-Tech Books of 2008 for Biology by Gregg Sapp of Library Journal

Genres: Science, Nature, Nonfiction, Biology, Sustainability, Science Nature, Environment

568 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2008

About the author

Eric S. Chivian is the founder and director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHGE) at Harvard Medical School, where he is also an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry.

A 1964 graduate of Harvard University (AB, biochemistry), he went on to graduate from Harvard Medical School in 1968.

In recent years, Chivian has worked to explore common ground between scientific and religious perspectives on environmental issues. Together with the Rev. Richard Cizik, then Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, Chivian was named by Time (magazine) in 2008 as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, for their work in organizing scientists and evangelicals to join together in efforts to protect the global environment.

Reviews

[ClareT · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed full of information. Covering biodiversity loss, the contribution to medical science of various plants and animals, potential untapped reservoirs of medicines, e.g. Cone snails, the consequences (both intended and unintended) of changes in biodiversity for human health and agriculture and biodiversity there is a lot to get through. Despite such a broad subject the authors do manage to include a lot of detail and widespread examples. It never assumes any prior knowledge (any scientific terms are explained) and is a very accessible read.

That said it has take me years to read this book having picked it up and put it down several times, and I don't know why. My only slight criticism is that it can be a little repetitive but probably because some of the themes are connected.

But, I think that every reader will find something new in this book, whatever their background - I am a nature freak working in sustainability in healthcare and still found new details.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good summary of the ways we're destroying the environment and why the environment should matter to us. I think some of the estimates are a little outdated, or maybe just too optimistic/conservative. The book was published almost 9 years ago and a lot of the studies cited were from before 2000. I don't really mind the strategy of focusing on how these species and ecosystems benefit humans. Even though I agree with environmentalists who say that all creatures should be respected whether they help us or not, let's face it, most people just don't care about things unless they have a direct impact on their own lives. Both sides are basically coming to the same conclusions anyway so we might as well try to speak to people in a way that resonates with them. I guess you could argue that the way people view the world is part of the problem (some actually argue that it's the root of the problem). Considering how close we are to going over the edge though, I just think we should be throwing every type of argument out there at the same time to reach as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

I am pretty disgusted with the emphasis this book puts on lab animals. High-tech medicine is a huge part of the problem. It depends on everything this book tries to condemn. Even just ignoring the cruelty to the animals themselves, we wouldn't have all these new gadgets without tearing up ecosystems, long-distance transportation infrastructure, wars, pollution, etc. We know where these diseases are coming from and how to prevent them (or at least greatly reduce their rates) without any new studies or inventions. Of course simple solutions aren't favorable to economic growth so nobody wants to consider those. This book was sponsored by the U.N. so it's not too surprising how tepid the criticisms of big business, GM crops and "the economy" are in general. It is a little better than I would have expected had someone told me the U.N. sponsored it before I decided to read it though. While many of the "solutions" brought up are kind of a joke, it at least doesn't glorify things like veganism and urban lifestyles the way so many others do. There are some decent recommendations in here.

[Roots & Shoots · Rating 5 out of 5]

This article was originally published on the wensite for Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots.

ROOTS & SHOOTS BOOK CLUB December 2008: "Sustaining Life" by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein
12/01/2008

We know biodiversity is important to the health of our world, but this month's Roots & Shoots Book Club selection gives us scientific proof. Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, edited and written by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, provides a comprehensive view of how humans and all other living things depend on one another for survival.

"Sustaining Life is the most complete and powerful argument I have seen for the importance of protecting biodiversity," said former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who created the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

The authors, physicians at Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, illustrate how biodiversity impacts human medicines, biomedical research and food production. With input from more than 100 leading scientists, Sustaining Life draws on the latest research while using non-technical language geared toward general readers.

The book is co-sponsored by the United Nations' Environment and Development Programmes, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It contains a prologue by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan–who appointed Dr. Jane a U.N. Messenger of Peace—and a foreword by renowned biologist and naturalist Edward O. Wilson.

With chapters covering everything from the basics of biodiversity to in-depth information on threatened species to suggestions for conservation efforts, Sustaining Life is a huge resource for biologists, for environmentalists AND for Roots & Shoots members.

Read the rest of the article here: http://bit.ly/lTPjLr

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm neither an expert on this topic nor unbiased (one of the editors is an old friend), but I think it's hard to be unimpressed by this book. Both "human health" and "biodiversity" are enormous, complicated topics on their own, so it stands to reason that their intersection is a rich, detailed topic as well. But they certainly do it justice (or at least try to). The assembled authors hit a large number of topics: ecosystem services, medicines from animals and plants, changing patterns of disease due to ecosystem disruptance, biodiversity and agriculture, etc.

The book is a hybrid between hard-core technical literature review and glossy coffee-table book. People with more biology background than I will probably get more out of the technical sections, but each chapter is also packed with supplemental information and a ton of beautiful photos. And even the technical sections are not impenetrable, and most do a decent job explaining the ideas they present.