Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide, and the Secret to Saving the World

by Kevin Bales

For readers of such crusading works of nonfiction as Katherine Boo’s Beyond the Beautiful Forevers and Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains comes a powerful and captivating examination of two entwined global environmental destruction and human trafficking—and an inspiring, bold plan for how we can solve them.   A leading expert on modern-day slavery, Kevin Bales has traveled to some of the world’s most dangerous places documenting and battling human trafficking. In the course of his reporting, Bales began to notice a pattern Where slavery existed, so did massive, unchecked environmental destruction. But why?   Bales set off to find the answer in a fascinating and moving journey that took him into the lives of modern-day slaves and along a supply chain that leads directly to the cellphones in our pockets. What he discovered is that even as it destroys individuals, families, and communities, new forms of slavery that proliferate in the world’s lawless zones also pose a grave threat to the environment. Simply put, modern-day slavery is destroying the planet.   The product of seven years of travel and research, Blood and Earth brings us dramatic stories from the world’s most beautiful and tragic places, the environmental and human-rights hotspots where this crisis is concentrated. But it also tells the stories of some of the most common products we all consume—from computers to shrimp to jewelry—whose origins are found in these same places.   Blood and Earth calls on us to recognize the grievous harm we have done to one another, put an end to it, and recommit to repairing the world. This is a clear-eyed and inspiring book that suggests how we can begin the work of healing humanity and the planet we share.Praise for Blood and Earth   “A heart-wrenching narrative . . . Weaving together interviews, history, and statistics, the author shines a light on how the poverty, chaos, wars, and government corruption create the perfect storm where slavery flourishes and environmental destruction follows. . . . A clear-eyed account of man’s inhumanity to man and Earth. Read it to get informed, and then take action.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   “[An] exposé of the global economy’s ‘deadly dance’ between slavery and environmental disaster . . . Based on extensive travels through eastern Congo’s mineral mines, Bangladeshi fisheries, Ghanian gold mines, and Brazilian forests, Bales reveals the appalling truth in graphic detail. . . . Readers will be deeply disturbed to learn how the links connecting slavery, environmental issues, and modern convenience are forged.”—Publishers Weekly   “This well-researched and vivid book studies the connection between slavery and environmental destruction, and what it will take to end both.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)“This is a remarkable book, demonstrating once more the deep links between the ongoing degradation of the planet and the ongoing degradation of its most vulnerable people. It’s a bracing reminder that a mentality that allows throwaway people also allows a throwaway earth.”—Bill McKibben, author of Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Environment, Politics, Economics, Social Issues, Current Affairs

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2016

About the author

Why I had to write Blood and Earth ...

For years I traveled the world meeting people in slavery trying to understand the depth and truth of their lives. What I saw, heard, and learned changed me, and led me deeper into the work of ending slavery, but I was missing something important. Where there are slaves, the environment is under assault, forests are being destroyed, endangered species are dying, and climate change is worsening – and all of this destruction is driven by profits from products we buy.

Children, especially, are suffering: in the fish camps of Bangladesh, in the mines of Eastern Congo feeding the electronics industry, in mercury-saturated gold pits in Ghana, and when brutally used and disposed of by criminals decimating the Amazon forest. And beside the children, endangered species are being wiped out, or pressed to fight back - like the ‘protected' Bengal tigers that prey on child slaves in fishing camps.

After seven years of research and travel we now know that if slavery were a country it would be the third largest producer of CO2 in the world after China and the USA, though its population is only the size of Canada’s. The scale of this joint disaster has been too big to see, until now. Yet, it is precisely the role that slaves play in this ecological catastrophe that opens a new solution, one that unleashes the power of abolition to save and preserve the natural world.

To hear more about Blood and Earth tune in to NPR’s Fresh Air on Tuesday 19 January, and check out an excerpt in Scientific American HERE.

I'm a guy that grew up in Oklahoma thinking if the whole world is as quiet as this place I better cram life to the fullest. The good news: the world is often much more interesting than Oklahoma. I lived a long time in London, and now live in DC. For the last 14 years all my work has been about modern slavery - real slavery, not sweatshops, or bad marriages, or not being able to stop shopping. Back in 1999 I published a book about contemporary slavery that changed my life. It went into 10 languages, got made into a movie, won some prizes, stuff like that. Since then I've published three more books, and three more will come out in 2008.

In Sept 2007 I published a book that is a plan for the eradication of global slavery. It's called Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves. This is what people said about it:

“None of us is truly free while others remain enslaved. The continuing existence of slavery is one of the greatest tragedies facing our global humanity. Today we finally have the means and increasingly the conviction to end this scourge and to bring millions of slaves to freedom. Read Kevin Bales' practical and inspiring book and you will discover how our world can be free at last.” -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“I was enslaved at age 11 as part of a human trafficking plot. I know modern slavery from the inside, and since coming to freedom I am committed to end it forever. Every human life has value. People have been sold for far too long and it's time to stop it. This book shows us how to make a world where no more childhoods will be stolen and sold as mine was.” Given Kachepa, former child slave in the United States.

“Ever since the Emancipation Proclamation, Americans have congratulated themselves on ending slavery once and for all. But did we? Kevin Bales is a powerful and effective voice in pointing out the appalling degree to which servitude, forced labor and outright slavery still exist in today's world, even here. This book is a valuable primer on the persistence of these evils, their intricate links to poverty, corruption and globalization--and what we can do to combat them. He's a modern-day William Lloyd Garrison.”
--Adam Hochschild, author of Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves


Here's the other bio. stuff: My book Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy published in 1999, was nominated for the

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's message regarding the connections between impoverishment, desperation, exploitation and environmental degradation is important but the ideas proposed to save the world are no secret, and frankly they're kind of a joke. Early on, when talking about his investigation of an illegal mining operation, he says "I can't live without my phone and people here are dying because of it." So I figured this would probably lead to one of two things, either a criticism of a culture where people literally need shit that nobody's ever needed before, or a bullshit suggestion for how so much crap can keep being produced with more humane working conditions and more environmentally friendly methods. Unfortunately he went with the latter. Nothing's wrong with an infinitely growing capitalist economy as long as it incorporates eco-tourism, green light bulbs, more vegetarian dinner menus, improved recycling, cap and trade, etc. I mean, technically he is at least on the right side so I wish I didn't feel a need to give this a bad review but it's horrifying that people are still buying into this stuff. At one point he even commends Foxconn (Apple's infamous third world sidekick who's notorious for de facto slave labor and installing nets at their factories to catch workers attempting to jump to their deaths) for supposedly signing some agreement not to use conflict minerals. Apple gets a commendation as well despite being the epitome of planned obsolescence, both for producing shit that needs to be totally thrown out if one 10 cent part fails and for constantly pushing updated versions of their products to brainwashed consumers. It's actually pretty amazing how many times he tries to make the case that corporations are only producing so much because consumers are demanding it, totally missing the role of advertising in creating that demand, the designed growth imperative of "the economy" and rich lobbyists intentionally destabilizing other countries to create the conditions that foster exploitable cheap labor. It's hard to tell if he just thinks his anti-slavery organization will get more accomplished if they don't ruffle any feathers or if he's just too focused specifically on slavery to connect all the dots. Either way it's impossible for me to ignore. The good things he has to say, like the toxic origins of seemingly innocuous materials, the role of mangrove forests in sequestering carbon, small diversified farms being better stewards of land than large-scale industrial farms, and obviously the magnification of ecocide and human misery when criminals are allowed to run the show, really can't make up for it. I've given worse books better reviews on here but it's 2016. I've been reading about the same bullshit "solutions" for like 10 years now and don't see how rehashings of the same naïve ideas can justify the publishing of all these new books by people who supposedly want to save trees. I'm just totally out of patience at this point.

[Jennifer Stringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars. Oh, man. This might be a case of ignorance is bliss. But as the author points out, once you know, you can no longer plea ignorance, just indifference. Basically, if we use a touch screen, buy gold and other gems, eat shrimp from someplace other than the US, or purchase lumber that isn't certifiably sourced, we are participating in global slavery. And that just scratches the surface. Not only that, but the author shows how slavery goes hand-in-hand with ecocide. These organizations don't care about human lives, they certainly don't care about the environment, so they go directly to the "protected" areas for the best (oldest) trees for smash and grab lumber raids or destroy mangroves with illegal fishing never mind the fact that without mangroves the next rainy season storms will be devastating to the local population. What can be done about it remains murky. The author shows examples of these products humanely sourced, but they seem few and far between. Basically it comes down to people in power not standing for it. In some cases that is for people within their own countries to take a stand. In other cases people who purchase these kind of items need to either boycott slavery sourced products or insist on slavery-free options. But I don't see folks giving up smart phones anytime soon.

I agree with other reviewers that much of this could have been condensed. I imagine that with seven years of on-site research, it would be emotionally challenging to cut any of it. Also, I would have liked some more solutions offered up - a few organizations are listed that are working to combat the problems (and I am sure they would like our money) but the author emphasizes that there are no easy fixes, but that now that you know, what will you change?

[Cassie Steiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book and was unfortunately disappointed.

The research and stories told were incredibly powerful, and the problem is clearly demonstrated. However, the book lacks a clear thesis and doesn’t really present solutions. The structure of the book doesn’t lend itself to you forming your own solutions either; several points are repeated to the point of utter redundancy. Some thoughts and ideas are randomly inserted in chapters, making it seem like Bales just felt the need to include his rants in a book.

As someone who was an activist first with anti-trafficking efforts and now works for an environmental advocacy organization, I feel like this book didn’t quite “thread the needle.” I kept looking for a solution - any solution - and none were presented except for “be an ethical individual consumer,” which is a non-solution and which was not analyzed or critiqued in the book. Global and economic systems are not critiqued. For those who already care about people and the planet, this book leaves much to be desired.

All that being said, this book could be a compelling tool for elected officials who are hesitant to care about environmental protection or labor rights. It is extremely non-radical and, as mentioned before, tells firsthand accounts of slavery and environmental destruction in a very powerful way.

It might be an okay on-ramp for people new to these issues, but could have been better thought out, more clearly structured and overall more compelling.

[amf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compulsive read for those with an interest in social justice and environmentalism. This book will make it hard for some to continue supporting various industries - or at least shall drive them to ask, "where did this come from and what am I supporting with my purchase". The personal stories are matter-of-fact allowing the reader (or at least this one) to understand once again how we in the States have no idea the conditions so many endure while barely achieving the daily requirements of food and shelter. Highly recommend for those who appreciate honest research and enlightening case studies done in the field by the author. (Read a galley for review)

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important book with lots of good points, but saying the solution to environmental destruction is to "end slavery" is vague and not very helpful. Ending slavery is an incredibly complex and difficult issue. As Bales says himself, "slaveholders are criminals, operating firmly outside of any law or regulation." They're not suddenly going to just stop what they're doing because it's hurting the environment. Dismantling slavery is its own separate issue that's not going to magically happen just to better serve the environment.

[Tasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich wünschte wirklich, ein deutscher Verlag würde das übersetzen. Bales schreibt so fantastisch und bildgewaltig und überzeugt nicht nur mit Sprache, sondern auch mit Fakten. Er stellt die unglaublich interessante und beängstigende Verbindung zwischen Menschenhandel und Umweltzerstörung her und rüttelt wach, ohne einen vollkommen zu überfordern.
Große Empfehlung - vor allem wer hier ein top aktuelles Buch sucht, was auch Bezug auf Deutschland nimmt, findet hier, was er sucht.

[Jennifer Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors makes disturbing links between global climate change, socio-economic unrest, and modern slavery. Must read for anyone planning to work with refugees, those in poverty, international studies, economics, international law, and political science.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very interesting book connecting ecocide with human trafficking, two phenomenons that are not normally connected. The stories were heartbreaking, frustrating and also terrifying and I truely believe that modern day slavery contributes to climate change. My only problem was that Bales states many dramatic statistics and facts but does not properly cite them. For example, he states the human trafficking is the third largest contributor of carbon emissions after China and the US, but doesn`t explain how he calculated that data. Yes, he has a notes sections and the end but doesn`t directly cite statements to their sources, and many of the citations were blogs or online articles. From an academic perspective this takes away from the power of his arguments. Much of the research is more qualitative based on stories and interviews he performed during fieldwork, which is valuable and rescues the human element of science, but still think he needed to better back up some of his data.

[Anup Umranikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Blood and Earth" is an interesting book on slavery. What got me even more interested was the tagline of this book: Modern Slavery, Ecocide, and the Secret to Saving the World.

Kevin Bales is an expert on modern-day slavery and has been researching on the same since the 1990s. He has covered various aspects of modern-day slavery and its effect on the environment.

The general theme of this book is that slaves produce many of the things that we buy, and in the process they are forced to destroy our shared environment, increase global warming, and wipe out protected species. He argues that slaves and environmental destruction form a vicious cycle and the ultimate underlying cause for this is the consumer culture (of the rich north). He explains that a lot of consumer items, such as shrimp, fish, gold, diamonds, tin, etc., are the fruits of slavery. He has written about the sad plight of these slave workers, and how this slavery causes great environmental destruction. Bales mentions that "slavery is one of the world's largest greenhouse gas producers [and] is hidden from us. Environmentalists are right to call for laws and treaties that will apply to the community of nations, but that is not enough. We also have to understand that slavers – who don't adhere to those laws and treaties – are a leading cause of the natural world's destruction. And to stop them, we don't need more laws. We need to end slavery."

The book takes us on a journey from Walikale in eastern Congo where slaves are forced to work illegally in cassiterite mines. (Cassiterite is the best known tin mineral.) The author then takes us to Bangladesh where slaves are forced to work in the shrimp and fish industry. The journey then takes us to Ghana where slaves work in illegal gold mines. Next, we head to Brazil where slavery is causing destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Brazil is also one of the places where steps are being taken to combat modern-day slavery. It serves as a good example of things that work, and don't work, in attempting to abolish slavery.

The book is the work of Bales' extensive research work on slavery, its causes, its effects – both, on the slaves' lives and the environment – and some efforts to control and abolish it. He has gathered this information through in-person interviews, actual visits to slavery sites, and other general research.

This book serves as a fascinating read for anyone interested in social (in)justice and the environment.

(I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

[Kristy Stoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye-opening and informative. So much I didn’t know and it changed a number of my consumer habits.

[Brandon Stiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book absolutely blew me away. I was jolted by this book. I think the combination of (mostly) reading it during my time in Rwanda together with the content really impacted me. It's one thing to read about slavery and destruction of eco-systems when they're far away, it's another thing when you realize that this is happening just on the other side of Lake Kivu. Or beyond that, some of the perpetrators in Eastern Congo are same perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. Bales does a masterful job of conveying this reality in a way that the reader finds nearly tangible. We have to wake up to the presence of slavery throughout the world and the way that our global economy is tied to slavery and ecocide. Each of his area expositions (Congo, Bangladesh, Ghana and Brazil) were captivating and sad at the same time. This really is a global issue and one that needs to be addressed today, not tomorrow. Once I recover from this book and other difficult reads I'm having right now, I intend to read more from Bales about modern slavery.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to read this book because the subject matter was so disturbing. As the final chapter asserts, you can't un-know what you know. Each of us is responsible for making informed choices as consumers and acting as global citizens and stewards.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely thought provoking and disturbing, Kevin Bales' Blood and Earth will keep you up at night and hopefully guide your purchases, investments and votes.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice blend of information and story telling--and concrete action plans.

[Kara Corthron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important read. Warning: it's a tough one, but should be required reading in schools.

[Jeff E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly compelling story that will change your world view. A must read for all Westerners. Slavery still exists and all because of greed. Read it and share it.

[Diane Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody should read this book. It will break your heart but it's necessary reading.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most impactful books I have ever read

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood and Earth is a 2016 account of how modern slavery feeds into the global economy, rending souls and the environment along the way. It is not a happy story. Kevin Bales is a fierce, modern-day abolitionist. In this book, he focuses on several industries benefiting from slave labor, using interviews with the victims to show the multi-faceted destruction of multitudes.

Bales starts in Eastern Congo around Walikale, where warbands enslave the local populace for rare earth mineral mining (like cassiterite), which is used to produce smart phones and devices. Then he goes to Bangladesh for shrimp harvesting, followed by Ghana and gold mining, and finishes in Brazil where corrupt businessmen have modernized slavery into "temp" one-month stints to tear down the Amazon. Brazil is held up as an example of progress in the grueling fight against slavery, but this is pre-Bolsonaro. Bales concludes the book with strategies to oppose slavery, which can be summarized as "ethical consumerism," and argues that many of the most effective ways to curb slavery are of negligible expense but lack political will.

Blood and Earth has made me more conscientious of how my purchases feed the modern slave trade. The most striking moments of the book come from Bales' interviews with victims of slavery, capturing the deterioration of body, mind, and spirit. He tells the story of one of the gold miners, who went south to go to school but was indebted and enslaved as a child and will now pass along his debt to his children.

I have no idea how this book came into my collection. There is a receipt from Köln caught in its pages. In the spirit of international citizenry, I will pass this copy along to someone else.

[Patricia Vroman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A call to conscience and to action. In words as devastating as the lives of modern-day slaves in the mining industries, in logging, in the shrimp industry and in enforced habitat and forest destruction due to illegal activities abetted by corrupt officials, Bales shows how everyone through ignorance or turning a blind eye is responsible for the costs to people and the environment. The minerals in our cell phones may come from illegal mining where people are forced to work till they drop, are beaten, and are frequently not even paid. Children work in illegal shrimp fishing that is also destroying the mangrove forests that should be sequestering carbon. Governments in these countries, Congo, Brazil, Bangladesh may stop illegal activities, but illegal actors take their place and create more hazardous and inhumane conditions both for their enforced workers and the environment. He asks people to speak out, to investigate where their appliances, their food, their clothing come from, helping to make industries responsible. It could mean going without some luxuries, paying a little more to know that what we have is sourced from a legal activity that does not use slavery or indentured bonded workers. Bales gives hope that nations can do much better to protect people and help save the environment. He gives examples of small-scale farmers who both profit from what they grow responsibly and protect the forest, rather than the land-owning barons and mostly illegal industrialists destroying the land, rivers and trees, all for profit.

[LakeGirl1000 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is horrible. It is horribly written. Nothing else to say on this - it's just poor. More importantly, its main premise is wrongly framed in two respects. First, Bales entire 'modern slavery' persona is a white-saviour lens which frames a worldwide social injustice problem into a characterisation allowing Westerners to ride to the rescue. Not so. The world's socio-economic-political structure -- in which we all are a part and contribute to -- results in a massive 'underclass' of desperately poor, marginalised, powerless people. These people do not need white Southerners riding to the rescue. They need money. They need power. They need a voice. We have to examine our world structure and the ideologies we hold which support it because it is those ideologies which permits these people to be trapped. That is the problem. Second, I am very uncomfortable with Bales' hijacking of the term 'slavery' when the vestiges of trans-Atlantic slavery are still very very much present in the US. He adopted the term to take some of its impact and apply it to his own incorrect framing. Not on.

[Sam Thammahong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood and Earth provokes thought with the title “ modern slavery, ecocide, and the secret to saving the world”. It’s a great attention grabber and makes you think that kevin bales might have the knowledge to combat these issues. Spoiler! It’s not a huge secret. If you picked up this book, it’s because you want to learn more. The goal is not to plead ignorance, but to just care. That’s he big ol secret ya’ll. Through the chapters in the book kevin writes to you in story form, stories of what real people have gone through. He’s giving you the key to just care that much more. Your actions, no matter how small they may be, absolutely matter.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never thought about the link between slavery and environmental destruction before, so I thought that he way he tied environmental concerns into concerns about political stability in regions and how laws simply aren't enough in the face of people who flout the law was really interesting. However, his "solutions" were weak and I felt he simply reiterated that "we know how to end slavery" but I do not feel like after reading this book that we really have any idea how to eradicate slavery.

[Siobhan Harrop-McDiarmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and passionate advocate of consumer education. We can make a difference by sourcing our electronics from manufacturers who engage in supply chain tracing and avoid purchasing cassiterite, columbite-tantalite and wolframite from conflict zones. Other takeaways are - don't eat shrimp! Or buy tombstones from India.

[Carol Hallenbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, eye-opening study of the link between horrific modern slavery and environmental destruction. This book is riveting in its urgency, but also surprisingly hopeful, as it offers glimpses at solutions for combating one by ending the other. A 5-star book rating is rare for me. This is an absolutely MUST-READ for every human.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction/overview to the reality that is modern slavery. The author strives to walk the line between too preachy and very informed, and does a decent job in making sure we are aware of our own complicity in modern slavery. Not an easy read, but likely a necessary one.

[Juan Manrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that everyone should read to avoid being naive. Many times we think that slavery has disappear, but it hasn't. The importance of this book isn't solutions that Kevin bales brings, it's to think what other solution can we give to this problem. I enjoy it.

[Kelly 🌻🌞🌱 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I N S A N E !!! Everyone needs to read this book, its interesting, informative, eye opening, and at time pretty harrowing. Nonetheless its a vital read for understanding the impact that the west is having on the people and the climate of this world (spoiler...its not great :/ ) so glad I read this.

[Emily Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that everyone must read.

[Audrey Salamon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5