A Moment on the Earth: The Coming Age of Environmental Optimism

by Gregg Easterbrook

An award-winning investigative journalist presents an in-depth exploration of the concept of ecorealism, predicting that the Pollution Age is nearing its end and that environmentalism offers humanity a chance to transform society for the better. 20,000 first printing.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Environment, Nature

768 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

I was born in Buffalo, New York and have lived there plus Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Colorado, Pakistan and Washington, D.C. My wife is a State Department official, which accounts for the globe-trotting. We have three children, boys born in 1989 and 1995 and a girl born in 1990.

I’ve published three literary novels, nine nonfiction books, with a tenth nonfiction book coming September 2021. The nonfiction is all over the map – economics, theology, psychological, environmental policy. If I had my writing career to do over again, I suppose I would have focused on a single genre, which makes commercial success more likely. Then again, I’ve always written about whatever was on my mind, and feel fortunate to have had that opportunity.

I am proud of my novels, which have gotten great reviews but not otherwise been noticed by the world. I hope someday that will change. Novel #4 is completed for 2022 publication.

I have been associated with The Atlantic Monthly as a staff writer, national correspondent or contributing editor. I have also written extensively for the Washington Monthly, the New Republic, the New York Times, Reuters and the Los Angeles Times.

My quirky football-and-society column Tuesday Morning Quarterback is on hiatus after an 18-year run. I may revive TMQ in the future. Right now the Internet environment is too toxic for any form of quality writing. I have retreated to books. Which is a good place to be!

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Easterbrook, who often writes for The Atlantic. In this book he says environmentalists need to step back and celebrate their successes. We have made triumphant progress in the last hundred years: water and air are both much cleaner, and we should be proud of democracy's ability to accomplish the improvements. The doomsday nature of the environmental movement, i.e., if we don't do this or that we will all die tomorrow, is ultimately harmful to the cause, he suggests, for when doom doesn't happen people lose faith in the movement's judgement. He also challenges a fundamental environmental concept: that humans do more damage to nature than nature does, a claim that is difficult to take seriously when natural calamities are viewed across geological time.

I am also struck by the number of dystopian novels that have appeared in young adult and adult literature. Margaret Atwood, Cormac McCarthy, etc. Why no Utopian? Or perhaps I am missing something. The media certainly bombard us with visions of doom. I wonder what the long-term effect of catastophism might be. Not to be Pollyanish about problems, but if you see only inevitable doom, what incentive might there be to try to fix things as did one of my heroes Norman Borlaug who actually did something about a problem rather than just run around crying the end is coming.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

came across a few notes...the book annoyed me and I disagreed with the premise. I only read a part of it before I was fed up and stopped. Gave the book away to the local library. (July 2004)

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long book, but I'm glad I made it through. Easterbrook's main thesis is that the environment is in good shape, but that this is a result of environmental regulation, so we should be interested in more of it. It's somewhat counter-intuitive -- or rather, it shows how counter-intuitive the two main poles in environmental debate are -- "The sky is falling, despite all the environmental legislation that's passed," or, "Everything we've done to clean up the planet has been enough. Let's just leave it at that."

I mention the thesis partially because a simple web search turned up some severe misunderstandings. For example, from this page,

His central thesis is: "...even for all their failings, market forces and a self-interest stake in forests are the best system for assuring responsible behavior, as they confer voluntary reasons to protect the land." (403) By implication, there is no longer any role for governmental regulation?

Hmm, well, most authors don't state their thesis on page 403. Reading the first part of the book, I noticed that Easterbrook expressed his general like of government regulation. In fact, he thought the good example government regulation set by getting results on environmental cleanup could be used to push government regulation in other spheres. The quote above has to do with the superiority of government regulations that make it worth people's while to comply. For example (mine, not Easterbrook's), littering is illegal pretty much everywhere. And, most places, the roadsides are strewn with bottles and cans. But when I lived in Michigan, I hardly ever saw litter of that type. Why? The 10-cent bottle deposit (made famous by Seinfeld).

I also found this quote:

He denies such obvious truths as the fact that insects are becoming resistant to pesticides, asserts that "nothing Carson forecast in Silent Spring has come to pass," and boasts of the increase in raptors without noting that this was due to the banning of DDT.

Wow. Let's see. He mentions that insects are becoming resistant to pesticides, and mentions that the increase in raptors happened after DDT was banned.

I'm not quite sure what about the book provokes such strong reactions from people who clearly haven't read it all the way through. I found it to be a level-headed examination of the state of the environment. I didn't always agree with it, but it made a lot more sense than doomsday predictions or the let-'em-pollute crowd.

[Anthony Dowd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Environmental destruction in a positive light. This is what I took from this book. Environmental destruction may lead to grander and greater things for nature itself. I love optimistic theories and this book contains one of my favourites.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very thick read, dry at times, but so much information in one place. A primer for those behind on their sciences, and an inspiration for those who worry about our environment.

[Jimmy Autrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A voice of reason in the clamor of political correctness. There is no global warming. What is happening now has been a cyclical event repeated hundreds of times over thousands of years.

[Trista Saunders]

An interesting approach to resilience theory...

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long and with a lot of information.