The Fate of Nature: Rediscovering Our Ability to Rescue the Earth

by Charles Wohlforth

The Fate of Nature is a profoundly relevant call to action from journalist Charles Wohlforth, whose award-winning reportage addressed the infamous 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. In the wake of the tragic 2010 BP disaster, Wohlforth's voice has never been more necessary. Using as a stage coastal Alaska, populated by an array of odd and inspiring characters, he presents both an insightful assessment of our present state and a hopeful vision for our planet in his "thoughtful and felicitous new book . . . an inspired view of humankind's future" ( Anchorage Daily News ).

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Science Nature, Nature, Natural History

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2010

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved this book from a first-reads giveaway. I chose to enter because I am interested in Nature and I lived in Alaska for several years where much of this book takes places.
Charles Wohlforth masterfully uses the unique setting of Alaska and its wildlife, history, and people to explore questions about whether human kind is essentially selfish and competitive or whether altruism and dedication to conservation and nature can save our planet and its wildlife and wilderness.
The Fate of Nature is a thoughtful, in-depth book. It is a cautionary tale about what could happen if selfishness and destruction of nature continue, yet it is also full of hope and promise for the future.
The first chapters explores questions about the minds and spirits of animals such as Killer whales and explores the spirituality of nature's intrinsic value and human connection with nature.
In reading The Fate of Nature I enjoyed reading about many different human characters and their attitudes towards nature and conservation. The characters range from early conservationists such as Gifford Pinchot and others, to some lesser known but very dedicated individuals who have committed their lives to connecting with and saving nature.
I found The Fate of Nature to be a truly inspirational book. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in nature and conservation.

I

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this, and just finished reading it. LOVED IT. Mr. Wohlforth does a wonderful job in creating visuals for the reader, and it makes it like you're actually there. He also does a good job in making the reader think. Between The Valdez accident, and the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico, we are ruining our eco-system. If we as a country don't make changes, we're going to kill off much of our wildlife, and deplete the supply of goods that we're relying on.

This was a fantastic read, and i'll definitely be sharing and recommending it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. Different from my normal reads- I'm more fiction but it was very interesting and enjoyable. Learned things while reading it I had no idea about.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that everyone should read. The author has lived many years in
Alaska and talks about the repercussions of the Exxon Valdez disaster, not only for the environment, but also for communities it impacted. Includes an in depth discussion about community, which I found very informative.

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get into this book. I thought it was full of too much information that had nothing to do with the purpose of the book. I was looking for a more scientific facts and figures kind of book but found that how someone was dressed or what they were eating for dinner while talking took away the importance of the subject of the book.

[Leela McKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simultaneously logical and researched, poetic and emotional, heartbreaking and hopeful. Perfection.

[Cheyenne Nasco · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Just wasn't it. Couldn't handle the author describing every little thing in great detail.

[Harry Dodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...#

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this free through GoodReads' First Reads program in exchange for an honest (if severely belated) review.

First, it took me about 300 pages to realize that the author and the reporter cited in so many of the oil-spill-related articles were one and the same. So that's the state my mind was in as I read this.

The first portion of the book was something of a downer. Lots of climate-related gloom and doom about it being too late, all supported by science. I had trouble continuing on and was only saved by my decision to bring nothing to read except this book to work so that I would have nothing else to read on my lunch breaks. (Please ignore the part where I work in a library....)

But the last portion of the book shows us why there's still hope. And hope is a big deal. I feel much better about the planet's prospects (though not yet optimistic), and much worse about my inability to ride my bike the five miles to work. (Sadly, yes, I am that out of shape. Also that incapable of mornings....) Wohlforth emphasizes the idea that every societal change starts with one person, and he encourages you to be that one person. It's quite reminiscent of the Rousing Speech trope.

Ultimately, while the knowledge contained herein is valuable and worthy, I worry that the only people who will make it to the end of the book are those who already care about saving the ocean. The environment is my big political issue, the one thing I care about above all other things, and I had a hard time making it to the end. I don't think the people who don't already care will get far enough to become converts. But there's always hope....

[Mike Moskos · Rating 4 out of 5]

My opinion of this book changed as I read more of it. I was ready to give it up after the first 60 pages--it seemed like just another rambling environmental treatise--but then he pulled it all together ala a John Irving novel. This book has some real gems and some great writing. It will take you a long time to get through it, but it's worth it if you take it slow. The slower you read it and let things sink in, the better.

For those who interested in the BP (not really Exxon) oil spill in Alaska, see Greg Palast's books. Wohlforth presents the same material in this book, but in a more quiet way. You need the outraged investigative reporter-style of Palast for that material to really sink in. (The spill might not have happened had they fulfilled their promises to the Alaskan first peoples to use guide boats and might have had little impact had they had oil containment ships actually on hand--as promised and required by law--rather than in dry dock where it wasn't operational for months). It was a tragedy of trying to save a relatively small amount of money, but the reason is still clear: they're still in business, the fine was low, etc. and their shareholders don't give a shit about anything other than how much their stock is rising (and beating the returns on companies where their friends have invested). It would have been an entirely different situation had all the shareholders been living on the Alaska shore: they would still extract every ounce of the oil, but they would have been much more careful not to soil their home. In the end, they probably would have made far more profit too (oil spill or not).

[Petar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores whether mankind can avoid destroying the planet. Charles Wohlforth has provided a very interesting and though provoking book that merges insights from game theory, animal psychology, and the history of Prince William Sound.

I really enjoyed how he combined topics as diverse as the behaviour of killer whales and ravens while examining the 17th-century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes and the Enlightenment. I also enjoyed the historical exploration of Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchots early attempts at conservation. This book is deeply researched and very well written. Wohlforth recounts how the conflicts over conservation in the early 1900s shaped the American political system today, and also includes a disquieting detour on the historical link between the laudable desire for conservation and the repellent drive for eugenics.

Chapter 28-Costs and Values was particularly memorable. After writing extensively on the affects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Wohlforth writes “As mortal prisoners of this universe, we would all be wise to do what we’re told and stop asking questions. Cash your paycheck and use that money to buy machines that burn Exxon’s products. Believe that freedom consists of a powerful car; that’s as much freedom as you can hope for”. That would be too easy…as he further posits, “what if the inmates, the victims, discovered they could change the shape of the universe that imprisoned them?” What if indeed!! Fascinating stuff!!

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fate of Nature is complex book that I found simultaneously disturbing and hopeful. Through his own explorations, research, and interactions with various individuals, the author poses questions about the fate of both nature and humanity and their ties to one another. Wohlforth explores the relationships between community, science, economics, and history in an attempt to enlighten readers to the issues that affect human life and the environment. Wohlforth introduces readers to an extensive variety of people, all of whom have been affected in some way by dilemmas in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The Fate of Nature challenges readers to reexamine their relationship with the natural world around them and to consider the consequences we will face if nothing is done to alter the disastrous path we are currently taking. I recommend The Fate of Nature to anyone interested in learning more about the impact humans are having on the earth, and to anyone interested in changing it.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides some good Alaskan history and overviews of ways of thinking about who and what people are, what defines us. But it's biggest contribution is the attempt to bring these things together in search of a new way for us to live, to organize ourselves that will allow community to reemerge encompassing all people and creation in any given place. I finished tonight with the sense that I will need to read it again and will likely get even more out of it by doing so. The Fate of Nature fits in for me with a few other books that seem to be pointing in promising directions: Deep Economy from Bill McKibben, David Sloan Wilson's Neighborhood Project, the thinking on bioregionalism I have learned mostly from Gary Snyder. Change is slow, but real, and there are many reasons for hope.

[Kathy Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may be a stop and think kind of a book, but it was a little to political for my tastes. There are some issues I have with Wohlford's conclusions, especially in regards to the United States Constitution. Being that this is the first thing that I have read about the Exxon-Valdez oil spill since National Geographic Magazine did their article on it I will reserve judgement on that subject as I know little about it.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted this book as a gift for my Marine Biology student daughter!! She will be so happy.............and I will make sure she reviews it!

I love the FREEBIES!!!