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NOTES FROM A DEAD PLANET: Please Prove Me Wrong
Notes from a Dead Planet has a premise and a challenge.
The premise: Humans, like all living things, have a built-in drive to reproduce and consume resources beyond the ability of nature to support them. Unfortunately, we’ve evolved the ability to override the natural controls that keep other species from destroying their habitats, so that now we’ve caused a global collapse of Earth’s life support system. Corporations own our governments, and they fight all attempts to rein in our consumption. That’s why international efforts to address climate change and mass extinction have failed utterly.
The challenge: Please prove Brown wrong by taking decisive action today, to stop global collapse. If the world makes the necessary commitment to a single-minded effort to rescue the web of life we depend on, we just might survive. Notes from a Dead Planet offers the solutions; it’s up to readers to apply them.
Publisher's Weekly review:
Brown’s eye-opening and often terrifying survey explores what has happened to Earth regarding overpopulation, mass extinction, and climate change. Aiming to provoke action, Brown painstakingly–and unstintingly–lays out the evidence, drawn from hundreds of articles and studies, of what he calls “planetary death,” detailing the uptick in extreme weather and climate-related catastrophes... and the likely increasingly horrific disasters we can expect in the future. While he never sugarcoats anything, Brown also offers guidance... to mitigate these compounding dangers—if we as a species really want to continue living on the planet we call home.
Brown’s core message—that we have very little time to make massive, life-altering changes in order to save life on the planet as we know it—is delivered alongside copious links covering topics that range from media misinformation to political movements. He never shies away from his fears that we have gone too far as a species to be able to rein in the incredible damage already done.
Brown sounds a resonant alarm about what’s likely to come if immediate action is not taken, and... his writing will spark a fear for the future, but readers will walk away empowered to make personal changes to thwart some of the most dire consequences of resource waste and pollution.
Takeaway: A stark analysis of the threats to our planet, with a provocative call to action.
Kirkus review:
A neuroscience professor emeritus with advanced degrees from the University of Chicago and Cornell, Based on an abundance of scientific evidence that is cited in nearly every sentence, this work suggests that the world is plagued by three processes directly tied to human decisions: Overpopulation, Mass extinction, and Global warming. Published only in digital form as “a living document” that will be updated and revised at his website, deadplanet dor org. this format allows for the work’s citation method that offers readers links to studies that provide overwhelming support for the author’s claims. Brown assumes no prior scientific expertise on the part of readers. Thus, while the book will satisfy scientifically minded readers, its jargon-free, accessible prose extends its reach to a general audience. This effort is complemented by an ample assortment of colorful graphs, charts, and photographs. At just over 100 pages, this is an ideal primer on imminent global catastrophes that most scientists foresee but that have yet to meaningfully impact the decisions of the world’s corporations and governments... A convincing work that predicts environmental devastation in this century.
The premise: Humans, like all living things, have a built-in drive to reproduce and consume resources beyond the ability of nature to support them. Unfortunately, we’ve evolved the ability to override the natural controls that keep other species from destroying their habitats, so that now we’ve caused a global collapse of Earth’s life support system. Corporations own our governments, and they fight all attempts to rein in our consumption. That’s why international efforts to address climate change and mass extinction have failed utterly.
The challenge: Please prove Brown wrong by taking decisive action today, to stop global collapse. If the world makes the necessary commitment to a single-minded effort to rescue the web of life we depend on, we just might survive. Notes from a Dead Planet offers the solutions; it’s up to readers to apply them.
Publisher's Weekly review:
Brown’s eye-opening and often terrifying survey explores what has happened to Earth regarding overpopulation, mass extinction, and climate change. Aiming to provoke action, Brown painstakingly–and unstintingly–lays out the evidence, drawn from hundreds of articles and studies, of what he calls “planetary death,” detailing the uptick in extreme weather and climate-related catastrophes... and the likely increasingly horrific disasters we can expect in the future. While he never sugarcoats anything, Brown also offers guidance... to mitigate these compounding dangers—if we as a species really want to continue living on the planet we call home.
Brown’s core message—that we have very little time to make massive, life-altering changes in order to save life on the planet as we know it—is delivered alongside copious links covering topics that range from media misinformation to political movements. He never shies away from his fears that we have gone too far as a species to be able to rein in the incredible damage already done.
Brown sounds a resonant alarm about what’s likely to come if immediate action is not taken, and... his writing will spark a fear for the future, but readers will walk away empowered to make personal changes to thwart some of the most dire consequences of resource waste and pollution.
Takeaway: A stark analysis of the threats to our planet, with a provocative call to action.
Kirkus review:
A neuroscience professor emeritus with advanced degrees from the University of Chicago and Cornell, Based on an abundance of scientific evidence that is cited in nearly every sentence, this work suggests that the world is plagued by three processes directly tied to human decisions: Overpopulation, Mass extinction, and Global warming. Published only in digital form as “a living document” that will be updated and revised at his website, deadplanet dor org. this format allows for the work’s citation method that offers readers links to studies that provide overwhelming support for the author’s claims. Brown assumes no prior scientific expertise on the part of readers. Thus, while the book will satisfy scientifically minded readers, its jargon-free, accessible prose extends its reach to a general audience. This effort is complemented by an ample assortment of colorful graphs, charts, and photographs. At just over 100 pages, this is an ideal primer on imminent global catastrophes that most scientists foresee but that have yet to meaningfully impact the decisions of the world’s corporations and governments... A convincing work that predicts environmental devastation in this century.
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 17, 2022
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5 people want to read
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May 14, 2022
Disclosure: I'm the author, so this is just a description. The premise is that humans have exceeded the carrying capacity of Earth due to innate behavioral traits and cultural factors, which make it unlikely that we will reverse the ongoing ecological collapse. I describe the science of overpopulation/overconsumption, the sixth and possibly last extinction, and global warming (climate disruption). I then spell out the few remaining options for us to reverse the collapse, and the enormous obstacles posed by corporations, the governments they own, and consumerism.
It's up to the reader to take action. Time is up. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong, and we have what it takes to rescue complex life forms on our only planet.
It's up to the reader to take action. Time is up. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong, and we have what it takes to rescue complex life forms on our only planet.
Displaying 1 of 1 review