Loving This Planet
Leading Thinkers Talk About How to Make A Better World
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Conversations on sustainability, renewable energy, and other pressing issues: “A level of intellectual discussion all too absent in our national discourse.” —Booklist
A co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, named one of the most influential women of the twentieth century by the Smithsonian Institute, Helen Caldicott presents a valuable collection of her interviews with prominent figures and environmentalists—in which she:
*Scrutinizes our unsustainable dependence on nuclear energy
*Explores how the United States could transition to renewable energy
*Raises awareness about issues such as deforestation and sea-level rise
Extending well beyond the scope of conventional environmental discussions, this book gives us Martin Sheen on grassroots movements and unionized labor; Chris Hedges on the costs of standing up for your morals; and award-winning actress Lily Tomlin on contemporary politics, in a sarcastic and witty exchange at once hilarious and inspiring—and also includes interviews with Maude Barlow, Bill McKibben, Jonathan Schell, Daniel Ellsberg, Lester Brown, Frances Fox Piven, Bob Herbert, and more.
“A treasure trove of anecdotes featuring high-profile politicians, academics, and celebrities . . . Surprising statistics about nuclear waste storage, rising sea levels, and military spending serve as an alarm, but Caldicott and her collaborators also offer many innovative solutions.” —Publishers Weekly
“God bless Helen Caldicott.” —Los Angeles Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Caldicott (Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer), a physician and environmental advocate, addresses urgent global challenges in a series of interviews adapted from her weekly radio show, If You Love This Planet. The book is a treasure trove of anecdotes featuring high-profile politicians, academics, and celebrities, including Martin Sheen, Lily Tomlin, Bob Herbert, and Lester Brown. Caldicott tells Sheen of visiting President Ronald Reagan in a downstairs library at the White House and explaining the scientific complexities of nuclear weapons with regards to their impact on humans and the Earth, after which she "quickly established a doctor-patient relationship with him." Alongside the celebrity sightings runs the thread of a growing urgency to change our energy, environmental, and military policies in the United States and on a global scale. Surprising statistics about nuclear waste storage, rising sea levels, and military spending serve as an alarm, but Caldicott and her collaborators also offer many innovative solutions. Though Caldicott's extensive expertise in this area can sometimes hinder her interviewing skills (she sometimes asks leading questions and stays within her own realm of experience), the book is an informative and powerful motivator for change.
