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How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take To Change A Planet?: 95 Ways to Save Planet Earth
The human world sits on the brink of potentially catastrophic environmental change. If we do not drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and start that process now, it is projected that in the second half of the 20th century the cost of climate damage could amount to a fifth of global GDP.
The latest science confirms that there is now only a decade left for action. How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Planet is a clarion call for urgent action in the face of environmental change that threatens to devastate human societies. In it Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth for England and Wales, presents his programme for staving off environmental, economic and social disaster.
His '95 articles for comfort, security and survival' embrace actions needed to reduce carbon emissions and protect the Earth's natural ecosystems, measures required to establish sustainable farming methods and conserve agricultural biodiversity, and wider economic reforms needed to create a proper economic context for environmental sustainability and to make quality of life - rather than growth in GDP - the target outcome of economic activity.
Passionately written and cogently argued, How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Planet is essential reading for anyone who cares about the world our children will inherit.
The latest science confirms that there is now only a decade left for action. How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Planet is a clarion call for urgent action in the face of environmental change that threatens to devastate human societies. In it Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth for England and Wales, presents his programme for staving off environmental, economic and social disaster.
His '95 articles for comfort, security and survival' embrace actions needed to reduce carbon emissions and protect the Earth's natural ecosystems, measures required to establish sustainable farming methods and conserve agricultural biodiversity, and wider economic reforms needed to create a proper economic context for environmental sustainability and to make quality of life - rather than growth in GDP - the target outcome of economic activity.
Passionately written and cogently argued, How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Planet is essential reading for anyone who cares about the world our children will inherit.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 29, 2012
Juniper was vice chair of Friends of the Earth international and his 95 solutions mirror Martin Luther's 95 theses stapled to the church door in Wittenberg in 1517. Juniper quit Friends of the Earth in early 2008.
My primary issue with books like these is that I can't help but think they're like preaching to the choir and he starts of the book with 20 pages of telling the reader how bad the current situation really is.
One tidbit of info which was new to me was some scientists' classification of the current geological epoch as the Anthropocene, from the Greek for 'human', anthropos.
The format of the book is neither here nor there. Juniper groups his 95 solutions in major themes such as economics, globalization and food, but instead of giving solutions, he often gives biographical anecdotes to back up his solutions, which make the book into something of a memoir. Nice to read, but, I'd think, not really the point of the book.
Juniper introduces the concept of 'ecological debt', as opposed to financial debt. The latter by mostly developing countries to developed countries, but the former by typically developed countries to developing countries.
Another interesting concept is Juniper's suggestion to include the value of the services which 'nature' provides into measures of economic progress.
As a whole, the book's a worthwhile read, but longwinded. I'd rather have had Juniper's 95 solutions with short descriptions where necessary as many are self evident.
Martin Luther didn't publish a book to explain his 95 theses; he just stapled a big sheet to a door.
My primary issue with books like these is that I can't help but think they're like preaching to the choir and he starts of the book with 20 pages of telling the reader how bad the current situation really is.
One tidbit of info which was new to me was some scientists' classification of the current geological epoch as the Anthropocene, from the Greek for 'human', anthropos.
The format of the book is neither here nor there. Juniper groups his 95 solutions in major themes such as economics, globalization and food, but instead of giving solutions, he often gives biographical anecdotes to back up his solutions, which make the book into something of a memoir. Nice to read, but, I'd think, not really the point of the book.
Juniper introduces the concept of 'ecological debt', as opposed to financial debt. The latter by mostly developing countries to developed countries, but the former by typically developed countries to developing countries.
Another interesting concept is Juniper's suggestion to include the value of the services which 'nature' provides into measures of economic progress.
As a whole, the book's a worthwhile read, but longwinded. I'd rather have had Juniper's 95 solutions with short descriptions where necessary as many are self evident.
Martin Luther didn't publish a book to explain his 95 theses; he just stapled a big sheet to a door.
June 24, 2018
This book must have been mind blowing when it came out. Every point is still so relevant now and it's amazing that this was written 10 years ago and we're still battling these issues! So many of this changes offered in this book are still not being made and so many are just being done now and we're years on! I think every politician should have this book on their shelf and should be making use of it.
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