Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?
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- Author：Alan Weisman
- ISBN：0316097748
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Summary
A powerful investigation into the chances for humanity's future from the author of the bestseller The World Without Us。
In his bestselling book The World Without Us， Alan Weisman considered how the Earth could heal and even refill empty niches if relieved of humanity's constant pressures。 Behind that groundbreaking thought experiment was his hope that we would be inspired to find a way to add humans back to this vision of a restored， healthy planet-only in harmony， not mortal combat， with the rest of nature。
But with a million more of us every 4 1/2 days on a planet that's not getting any bigger， and with our exhaust overheating the atmosphere and altering the chemistry of the oceans， prospects for a sustainable human future seem ever more in doubt。 For this long awaited follow-up book， Weisman traveled to more than 20 countries to ask what experts agreed were probably the most important questions on Earth -- and also the hardest: How many humans can the planet hold without capsizing？ How robust must the Earth's ecosystem be to assure our continued existence？ Can we know which other species are essential to our survival？ And， how might we actually arrive at a stable， optimum population， and design an economy to allow genuine prosperity without endless growth？
Weisman visits an extraordinary range of the world's cultures， religions， nationalities， tribes， and political systems to learn what in their beliefs， histories， liturgies， or current circumstances might suggest that sometimes it's in their own best interest to limit their growth。 The result is a landmark work of reporting: devastating， urgent， and， ultimately， deeply hopeful。
By vividly detailing the burgeoning effects of our cumulative presence， Countdown reveals what may be the fastest， most acceptable， practical， and affordable way of returning our planet and our presence on it to balance。 Weisman again shows that he is one of the most provocative journalists at work today， with a book whose message is so compelling that it will change how we see our lives and our destiny。
In his bestselling book The World Without Us， Alan Weisman considered how the Earth could heal and even refill empty niches if relieved of humanity's constant pressures。 Behind that groundbreaking thought experiment was his hope that we would be inspired to find a way to add humans back to this vision of a restored， healthy planet-only in harmony， not mortal combat， with the rest of nature。
But with a million more of us every 4 1/2 days on a planet that's not getting any bigger， and with our exhaust overheating the atmosphere and altering the chemistry of the oceans， prospects for a sustainable human future seem ever more in doubt。 For this long awaited follow-up book， Weisman traveled to more than 20 countries to ask what experts agreed were probably the most important questions on Earth -- and also the hardest: How many humans can the planet hold without capsizing？ How robust must the Earth's ecosystem be to assure our continued existence？ Can we know which other species are essential to our survival？ And， how might we actually arrive at a stable， optimum population， and design an economy to allow genuine prosperity without endless growth？
Weisman visits an extraordinary range of the world's cultures， religions， nationalities， tribes， and political systems to learn what in their beliefs， histories， liturgies， or current circumstances might suggest that sometimes it's in their own best interest to limit their growth。 The result is a landmark work of reporting: devastating， urgent， and， ultimately， deeply hopeful。
By vividly detailing the burgeoning effects of our cumulative presence， Countdown reveals what may be the fastest， most acceptable， practical， and affordable way of returning our planet and our presence on it to balance。 Weisman again shows that he is one of the most provocative journalists at work today， with a book whose message is so compelling that it will change how we see our lives and our destiny。
Reviews
Angela
，
this was a utterly fascinating read。 Weisman addresses the issue of overpopulation by offering glimpses into the lives of people affected， examining views and insights from Nigeriens in West Africa; to those in Japan dealing with the realities of an aging population struggling to meet replacement rates。 Didn’t leave me with massive amounts of hope however about our collective ability overcome the myriad of challenges we face in world。
Carlos
，
I found this book frustrating。 I had hoped Weisman would paint an inspiring picture of the benefits of ending our obsession with growth and embracing the potential of thriving as the world population declined to more sustainable levels。 Instead I found Weisman obsessed with highlighting the upcoming apocalypse due to overpopulation。 He cites Malthus and Ehrlich not as cautionary tales for predictions getting carried away but of visionaries spurned by their times。 Each chapter followed the explos I found this book frustrating。 I had hoped Weisman would paint an inspiring picture of the benefits of ending our obsession with growth and embracing the potential of thriving as the world population declined to more sustainable levels。 Instead I found Weisman obsessed with highlighting the upcoming apocalypse due to overpopulation。 He cites Malthus and Ehrlich not as cautionary tales for predictions getting carried away but of visionaries spurned by their times。 Each chapter followed the explosion of births in this or that country in a cycle that was not only repetitive but aggravatingly monotonous。 It takes him almost three fourths of the book to mention the kind of economic changes that would need to occur for our societies to not be destroyed by declining population rates and even then manages to see them off in a few pages。 If I try to be kind I can say that this book is for people who have never heard of overpopulation， have， or are planning to have， 5 or more children and believe that family planning is the work of the devil （and yet are open to reading a book like this …）。 。。。more
Karen
，
I wonder if I would have thought differently about this book if I had read it pre Covid pandemic？ There is an assumption here （the world population is out of control） which perhaps isn't quite so evident and certain now。 Maybe disasters and pandemics will take some of the 'control' out of human hands， climate change impacts are not so open to question and there is once again the fear in some societies that not enough children are being born。 Will the requirement to limit our families be a necess I wonder if I would have thought differently about this book if I had read it pre Covid pandemic？ There is an assumption here （the world population is out of control） which perhaps isn't quite so evident and certain now。 Maybe disasters and pandemics will take some of the 'control' out of human hands， climate change impacts are not so open to question and there is once again the fear in some societies that not enough children are being born。 Will the requirement to limit our families be a necessity rather than a choice？ 。。。more
Steven Smith
，
A sobering and well reasoned cautionary documentary。 It should be on everyone's reading list。While technical， the book is accessible and will give everyone a lot to think about。 A sobering and well reasoned cautionary documentary。 It should be on everyone's reading list。While technical， the book is accessible and will give everyone a lot to think about。 。。。more
Anna Abney Miller
，
4。5
Ivan Campbell
，
A somber yet fulfilling read that everyone ought to read。 Though I suspect most would rather drive over the cliff's edge unwittingly and suffer the consequences dramatically。 A somber yet fulfilling read that everyone ought to read。 Though I suspect most would rather drive over the cliff's edge unwittingly and suffer the consequences dramatically。 。。。more
J Christopher G
，
Dares to say out loud what we all know to be true - overpopulation is *the* economic and climate issue that needs to be solved。
Adam
，
A cogent and expansive look at population control and its possible impact upon climate disruption （and other issues）。 Heavily researched and global in scope， Weisman's discussion of the need for governments to engage in the struggle is marked and clear。4 stars。 It takes its thesis and hammers it home with the force of a sledgehammer， chapter by chapter。 A cogent and expansive look at population control and its possible impact upon climate disruption （and other issues）。 Heavily researched and global in scope， Weisman's discussion of the need for governments to engage in the struggle is marked and clear。4 stars。 It takes its thesis and hammers it home with the force of a sledgehammer， chapter by chapter。 。。。more
S
，
A thoroughly researched and very multi sided book on the problems of over population。 Very deep exploration with hard conversations in so many countries around the world。 And yes the book starts to get long and repetitive and a bit too detailed around the halfway point。 I think the author wanted to write about over population but also wanted to write a travel book， a rural development book， a culture book- true， population must involve dozens of tangential topics， but I still felt the book often A thoroughly researched and very multi sided book on the problems of over population。 Very deep exploration with hard conversations in so many countries around the world。 And yes the book starts to get long and repetitive and a bit too detailed around the halfway point。 I think the author wanted to write about over population but also wanted to write a travel book， a rural development book， a culture book- true， population must involve dozens of tangential topics， but I still felt the book often veered off course。 The last third for me was a slog but that may be because I read too many disaster and climate crisis books these days and this was one too many。 Considering that， this is rounded up from 3。5 star to 4 。。。more
LibraryCin
，
3。5 starsThis primarily looks at human overpopulation of our planet。 How can we survive？ What do we need to do and how do we do it？ Weisman looks at different countries， communities， cultures。。。 Some are ones that have promoted large families。 In some cases， some countries are reaching or have already reached their limit of what their country or area can realistically support – what have they done/are doing to help with this？ This was interesting， certainly a topic that many consider taboo， but 3。5 starsThis primarily looks at human overpopulation of our planet。 How can we survive？ What do we need to do and how do we do it？ Weisman looks at different countries， communities， cultures。。。 Some are ones that have promoted large families。 In some cases， some countries are reaching or have already reached their limit of what their country or area can realistically support – what have they done/are doing to help with this？ This was interesting， certainly a topic that many consider taboo， but really is one of the biggest issues when it comes to the issues with our planet’s environment （the other one being consumerism。。。 which， of course， is amplified with a larger world population）。 Have to admit， though， it took a long time for me to read; it did help that a good chunk of it at the end was references。 。。。more
Laura Cruz
，
Increíble。 Este libro es mi respuesta al libro que "todos deberían de leer"。 Para empezar Alan Weisman es un gran periodista y tiene la capacidad de hablarnos de un montón de temas controversiales sin sermonearnos ni involucrar sus sentimientos e ideologías。 La cuenta atrás es un libro que habla de la sobrepoblación， pero también habla de mucho más que eso。 Como dice hacia el final del libro， hay pocos problemas ambientales que no se agraven o dependan directamente de la sobrepoblación， y en est Increíble。 Este libro es mi respuesta al libro que "todos deberían de leer"。 Para empezar Alan Weisman es un gran periodista y tiene la capacidad de hablarnos de un montón de temas controversiales sin sermonearnos ni involucrar sus sentimientos e ideologías。 La cuenta atrás es un libro que habla de la sobrepoblación， pero también habla de mucho más que eso。 Como dice hacia el final del libro， hay pocos problemas ambientales que no se agraven o dependan directamente de la sobrepoblación， y en este libro los exploramos。Desde por qué hay países que incentivan nacimientos （por religión， política， guerras， crecimiento económico） hasta "soluciones" （como la política del hijo único en china， el aborto， el acceso a anticonceptivos y a la educación） Alan Weisman nos dirige en esta expedición internacional para entender cómo llegamos a ser tantos y qué puede pasar si el crecimiento demográfico sigue así。 Me encanta que el libro no se centre en Estados Unidos y que en cada capítulo aprendes muchísimas cosas nuevas tanto relacionadas con la población y el ambiente como en general。 Si estás leyendo esta reseña sin saber si leerlo o no 。。。por favor lee el libro。 。。。more
Leda Frost
，
An excellently written book with a clear， terrifying message: if we don't do something about our growing population， Nature will be sure to do something to us。 The first half of the book is a globe-hopping endeavor to showcase what I would call the "hotspots" of population growth， and what efforts have been implemented there to slow down growth， often to great success。 The key， Weisman illustrates， is to put the power in the people's hands-- particularly women--as time and again statistics show An excellently written book with a clear， terrifying message: if we don't do something about our growing population， Nature will be sure to do something to us。 The first half of the book is a globe-hopping endeavor to showcase what I would call the "hotspots" of population growth， and what efforts have been implemented there to slow down growth， often to great success。 The key， Weisman illustrates， is to put the power in the people's hands-- particularly women--as time and again statistics show that the more education a woman receives， the fewer children she is likely to have。 While I could see there being complaints of an Orientalism or Otherism （Africanism？）， with Weisman's focus on the differences between the places he visits and the invisible comparison to the West， I don't think that this is done in a nefarious or touristic way， but that Weisman simply presents the issues in these places to the best of his ability， which includes the other side--why people endeavor to have as many children as possible。 The last third to half of the book is a broader look at what is happening globally， including the limits of genetically modified crops， which I found refreshing after jumping around the planet。 He makes it clear that population control is not about culling who is currently alive but bringing the births and deaths rate closer to one another。 If we continue on our current course， by 2100 it is predicted that the planet will have 10 billion people。 Alternatively， if every woman capable of having children restricts herself to one （possibly two） by that same time the number will be closer to 1。6 billion， which is what it was at 1900 and far more manageable as far as food and resources。 。。。more
Gerardo González Sánchez
，
¡TE DEJA CON LA BOCA ABIERTA！Todos en algún momento hemos reflexionado acerca del cambio climático， de la reducción de la bodiversidad， de la pobreza， de las hambrunas en el mundo， nos hemos sentido enojados acerca de noticias como el deshielo de los polos， de la reducción del amazonas， de la sobre explotación de los mares y las tierras de cultivo。 Pero en este libro， el cual muestra una investigación extensa y profunda de la realidad de nuestro planeta， sumando su estilo de escritura donde en c ¡TE DEJA CON LA BOCA ABIERTA！Todos en algún momento hemos reflexionado acerca del cambio climático， de la reducción de la bodiversidad， de la pobreza， de las hambrunas en el mundo， nos hemos sentido enojados acerca de noticias como el deshielo de los polos， de la reducción del amazonas， de la sobre explotación de los mares y las tierras de cultivo。 Pero en este libro， el cual muestra una investigación extensa y profunda de la realidad de nuestro planeta， sumando su estilo de escritura donde en cada capitulo te muestra una región especifica del planeta， acompañada de la entrevista， datos y comentarios de especialistas que trabajan directamente en esos contextos， que expresan su preocupación y lo que hacen para remediar las múltiples problemáticas de cada contexto social e histórico particular， sin dejar fuera la influencia de los roles sociales， las creencias religiosas， la política， la economía y las personas。 Alan Weisman no solo habla del problema que es la sobrepoblación humana， y los números que eso significa en las necesidades de que cada nuevo humano requiere （comida， vestido， agua， servicios， educación， protección， transporte， un trabajo， etc）， sino que también aborda lo que implica reducir nuestro numero， en cuestiones económicas， morales y éticas。Me encanta como retrata la verdadera dependencia que hay entre todas las criaturas del mundo， de la importancia del equilibrio， de como la diversidad enriquece la vida， de como nuestro egoísmo seguirá siendo el culpable de nuestro desastre， de cómo cada individuo del planeta debe tomar parte en la solución， pues no solo los países ricos e industrializados son los contaminantes， ni tampoco los países pobres son los culpables de la sobrepoblación， de cómo la educación humana es la clave para poder reducir y llegar al equilibrio con nuestros propios medios e inteligencia， pues de no lograrlo， la misma naturaleza se encargará de hacerlo。 Es necesario establecer una conciencia y cultura acerca del consumo moderado， de cambiar nuestro sistema económico a uno sustentable， olvidar ese que trata a los recursos como inagotables， y pensar en el presente， el futuro nuestro y el de nuestros hijos。 。。。more
Curtis Anthony Bozif
，
Thinking about having children？ Or having more children？ Then you should read this book。 It's one of the best books I've read， on a topic， overpopulation， that， unfortunately， nobody wants to talk about or take seriously。It'd be too difficult for me to summarize everything I learned from and loved about this book in this context so， and I don't say this kind of thing very often， but， let me just say， this is a must read for anyone concerned about climate change and especially or anyone or any co Thinking about having children？ Or having more children？ Then you should read this book。 It's one of the best books I've read， on a topic， overpopulation， that， unfortunately， nobody wants to talk about or take seriously。It'd be too difficult for me to summarize everything I learned from and loved about this book in this context so， and I don't say this kind of thing very often， but， let me just say， this is a must read for anyone concerned about climate change and especially or anyone or any couple considering whether or not to have children。 。。。more
Brett
，
This one goes in the DNF pile after getting through around 2/3rds of it。 Interesting premise about how much 'carrying capacity' the world has for population， and looking at this through various lenses: like family planning measures in certain parts of the world warring with religious ideals， drought and habitat change from cities growing massively and completely depleting the water table， or how the ageing population in Japan combined with low birth rates means that they effectively need to rede This one goes in the DNF pile after getting through around 2/3rds of it。 Interesting premise about how much 'carrying capacity' the world has for population， and looking at this through various lenses: like family planning measures in certain parts of the world warring with religious ideals， drought and habitat change from cities growing massively and completely depleting the water table， or how the ageing population in Japan combined with low birth rates means that they effectively need to redesign how their economy works。 Weisman writes many good framing pieces setting out the challenges in each country， zooming in for certain case studies or out to talk about national statistics for （e。g。） decimation of animal populations by massive urbanisation。 So why only 2 stars？ Ultimately， it's a dense read and I felt that it overstated its welcome。 It didn't give me a compelling through-line （over-population is bad， I get it， OK？） to convince me to keep reading。 While it's a powerful topic and it's clear that Weisman has done the hard yards to research it， this one fell flat for me。 It's a shame because I really enjoyed Weisman's previous book on a related （inverse？） topic， The World Without Us。 There， the narrative conceit of 'humanity disappears one day' sells the story of how much impact we are having on the world， while keeping the reader engrossed with Weisman's fascinating descriptive prose。 So if the basic themes of Countdown sound interesting but this review has dispirited you， give The World Without Us a go instead。 It's a much better read。 。。。more
Grace
，
Even if you're not sold on climate change， it is hard to argue against the bare fact Earth's resources are finite and the human population should reflect that。 Weisman's book provides a wide variety of mitigation attempts from all over the globe - attempts that include encouraging smaller populations as well as reducing the impact of each population。 The interesting variety of his interviewees reflects how many considerations that go into family size beyond personal preference such as access to Even if you're not sold on climate change， it is hard to argue against the bare fact Earth's resources are finite and the human population should reflect that。 Weisman's book provides a wide variety of mitigation attempts from all over the globe - attempts that include encouraging smaller populations as well as reducing the impact of each population。 The interesting variety of his interviewees reflects how many considerations that go into family size beyond personal preference such as access to birth control and the many concerns （religious， political， social， medical， economic， etc） that shape such a seemingly personal decision。I also like how the book included ways to invest climate deniers （or even people with simply more immediate concerns） like protecting endangered animals to protect tourism instead of wasting time （time the book makes it clear we might have as we might have already lost some crucial piece that holds up an entire ecosystem） trying to convince you of anything beyond the Earth being at capacity。 。。。more
Antonio Varguez
，
Muy probablemente la generación actual no estará viva en el siglo XXII， pero si actuamos ya nuestros descendientes directos vivirán en un lugar mejor donde todos （todos los seres vivos， no solo humanos） tendrían lo necesario para llevar a cabo una vida feliz。Después de leer esta *asombrosa obra periodística* ya no me siento intimidado por la oscuridad de mi ignorancia con respecto a los presagios que atormentan a la humanidad， por el contrario， me siento atraído por actuar para revertir los efec Muy probablemente la generación actual no estará viva en el siglo XXII， pero si actuamos ya nuestros descendientes directos vivirán en un lugar mejor donde todos （todos los seres vivos， no solo humanos） tendrían lo necesario para llevar a cabo una vida feliz。Después de leer esta *asombrosa obra periodística* ya no me siento intimidado por la oscuridad de mi ignorancia con respecto a los presagios que atormentan a la humanidad， por el contrario， me siento atraído por actuar para revertir los efectos negativos que le hemos causado al medio ambiente y promover el balance de la vida en la tierra。 Como ser humano con consciencia me veo obligado a:-No tener más de 2 hijos para controlar el aumento poblacional。-No consumir más de lo necesario para reducir mi impacto negativo al ambiente。-Contribuir a la divulgación de los desarrollos científicos para la comprensión de las masas。-Desarrollar un nuevo estilo de vida sostenible para no depender del sistema en espiral actual basado en el crecimiento y consumo。No se trata de convertirse en un fanático anti-capitalista o entrar en psicosis por el "inminente" fin del mundo， sino en vivir a favor de eso mismo que nos dio la vida， la naturaleza。 。。。more
Jessica
，
DNF
Indah Threez Lestari
，
204 - 2020Bagusnya memang dikasih judul dari bab terakhir: The World With Fewer of Us。 Mirip-miriplah sama judul buku sebelumnya， The World Without Us。
Florent Diverchy
，
A definitive compilation of things to know about our world， its populationand the dynamics between them。 And a thorough study on how we should make the world liveable for every one。 Being Fewer， better， healthier。 Education， and family planning must lead the way。 Let's hope the message will be heard。 A definitive compilation of things to know about our world， its populationand the dynamics between them。 And a thorough study on how we should make the world liveable for every one。 Being Fewer， better， healthier。 Education， and family planning must lead the way。 Let's hope the message will be heard。 。。。more
Thomas
，
The author has the view that control of the number of people is the key control point for how we do in the future。 I had been hoping for a more thorough discussion on dealing with climate change based on factors such as use of carbon resources and renewable and other energy sources。 However， the view here is the overall population size determines the demand of use of resources reflected in food supply， energy use， water， land use， etc。 The book dives deeply， country by country covering different The author has the view that control of the number of people is the key control point for how we do in the future。 I had been hoping for a more thorough discussion on dealing with climate change based on factors such as use of carbon resources and renewable and other energy sources。 However， the view here is the overall population size determines the demand of use of resources reflected in food supply， energy use， water， land use， etc。 The book dives deeply， country by country covering different cultures and religion。 It forced me to take a closer look at population aspects， lot of it dating back to books such as Paul and Anne Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb" and the Club of Rome's （Meadows et al） "The Limits to Growth"， both published in the 1970s。 。。。more
William Buchanan
，
This book was almost entirely full of run-on sentences。 Aside from its syntactical challenges， the book was enjoyable to read and informative - it provides a global perspective on what can only be deemed a global issue。 I have a hard time seeing how it ends on a hopeful note though。
Matt Johnson
，
This book was far better than I anticipated， as I am generally skeptical of many environmentalists who too quickly embrace simple Malthusian analyses of the world， often wrongly emphasizing how dire circumstances are in the developing world while neatly ignoring the pace of damage imposed by Western diets and patterns of consumption。 But this book is more nuanced than that， it's more thought-provoking， and more wide-reaching than expected。 Weisman builds a cohesive and thorough analysis of human This book was far better than I anticipated， as I am generally skeptical of many environmentalists who too quickly embrace simple Malthusian analyses of the world， often wrongly emphasizing how dire circumstances are in the developing world while neatly ignoring the pace of damage imposed by Western diets and patterns of consumption。 But this book is more nuanced than that， it's more thought-provoking， and more wide-reaching than expected。 Weisman builds a cohesive and thorough analysis of human demographics -- and in so doing not only delves deeply into the essential related topics of food production， green revolution， sustainable agriculture， natural capital & ecosystem services， women's rights， religious taboos， and the variable politics of family planning -- he also travels all of over the world and speaks with everyone from UN ambassadors， to rural farmers， to top scientists， to relgious leaders， to organizers of grass-roots women's rights and family planning projects。 There were entire sections I knew virtually nothing about before this book （e。g。， Iran's pendulum swing of very high to very low fertility rates）， as well as topics and scientists with whom I'm fairly familiar （Gretchen Daily and Danny Karp's work in Countryside Biogeography）。 His treatment of the latter was both accurate and placed well in the context of human population -- which bodes well for the value of the rest of the book。 He didn't treat per capita consumption very squarely until near the end of the book， and for me that delay cast a long shadow on some earlier analyses， leaving some essential details unilluminated。 Nonetheless， he does come around to it eventually when returning （as he does several times） to the Ehrlich's overly simple I=PAT formula of human impact on the Earth， though his conclusion on this topic seems to only glance him back to the （false IMO） primacy of population size and growth rate。 Through it all， though his writing is at times jarringly， and appropriately， accurate about how desperately unsustainable our current trajectory is， Weisman manages to preserve hope in his reader through cases of glorious and at times unexpected success， and glimpses of a future with more life， equality， prosperity for all。 。。。more
John Szalasny
，
This is a book about some very large numbers。 The current number of humans on this planet is over 7。7 billion。 It had reached 1 billion in 1804， 2 billion in 1927， 3 billion in 1960 - note how much shorter a time frame it is taking for the next billion。 So， if you want a reason to read this book， it's so you know why things haven't exploded even faster！ Population was checked for most of human civilization by things like infant mortality， women dying in childbirth， plagues， wars， etc。 With impro This is a book about some very large numbers。 The current number of humans on this planet is over 7。7 billion。 It had reached 1 billion in 1804， 2 billion in 1927， 3 billion in 1960 - note how much shorter a time frame it is taking for the next billion。 So， if you want a reason to read this book， it's so you know why things haven't exploded even faster！ Population was checked for most of human civilization by things like infant mortality， women dying in childbirth， plagues， wars， etc。 With improved sanitary conditions for the developed world， advances in crop yields， technological and pharmaceutical advances in healthcare， etc。， these have taken away most of the checks on population。 The book explores the reasons for why we don't already have 10 billion （or more） including China's One Child Policy and adoption of contraceptives。 As the world moves from rural to urban， the cost of raising children inhibits large family formation。 Also， there is a strong correlation between the education of women and use family planning to reduce family size。 The author's argument is that the carrying capacity of the planet for humans （if we want to keep anything else on the planet） is substantially less than it is today。 He also recognizes that population trends show that an optimum population will eventually happen。 The question that pops up in the book is whether we will be in control of getting to this population number， or will it be nature in control with the next Spanish Flu or widespread crop failure。 。。。more
Emilia
，
This semi-sequel to Alan Weisman's fictional experiment， The World Without Us， causes the readers to think about their actions and the race we are in against the planet's boundaries。 While not as original as the first book， Weisman nevertheless tackles a problem that is currently a hot topic - overpopulation - and presents his own view in a clear， concise， engaging manner。 Definitely worth a read to better understand our impacts。 This semi-sequel to Alan Weisman's fictional experiment， The World Without Us， causes the readers to think about their actions and the race we are in against the planet's boundaries。 While not as original as the first book， Weisman nevertheless tackles a problem that is currently a hot topic - overpopulation - and presents his own view in a clear， concise， engaging manner。 Definitely worth a read to better understand our impacts。 。。。more
Phil
，
Fascinating look at demographics around the world and the perception of birth and fertility rates， and family planning in different countries。 All tied to environmental implications。 This is well worth reading， not as much a follow up of “The World Without Us” but more a closely related topic。
Simon Hohenadl
，
This is a series of well-told anecdotes。 I missed the comprehensive data to back them up and some other points of view into the future。 I listened to Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think at the same time which felt like a good complement。 This is a series of well-told anecdotes。 I missed the comprehensive data to back them up and some other points of view into the future。 I listened to Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think at the same time which felt like a good complement。 。。。more
Salvador Orellana
，
A story-research that is worth reading， and that helps you put into perspective many things， including your day to day。Un relato-investigación que vale la pena leer， te ayuda a poner en perspectiva muchas cosas， incluso de tu día a día。
Lisa
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This one is really interesting and told from the perspective of going to places around the globe and telling a person's story。 This is so much more engaging than a purely scientific treatment of the topic。 Having read a number of "doom and gloom" books about the future of humanity on Earth， this was practically a breath of fresh air because it pointed out things that could be done to mitigate the tendency for humans to deplete and destroy resources。 One point that wasn't made in the book but tha This one is really interesting and told from the perspective of going to places around the globe and telling a person's story。 This is so much more engaging than a purely scientific treatment of the topic。 Having read a number of "doom and gloom" books about the future of humanity on Earth， this was practically a breath of fresh air because it pointed out things that could be done to mitigate the tendency for humans to deplete and destroy resources。 One point that wasn't made in the book but that stemmed from the discussions in the book is the concept that goals taken on by countries really need to be per capita goals or percent （of the total world） goals because populations change not only due to birth rates but also to migration。 So if France says it will commit to creating x or fewer tons of methane but then the population decreases or increases， that number in the goal doesn't mean the same thing。 In the same vein， all countries have to participate in these agreements for them to reach 100% efficiency but even half or 75% of them agreeing is better than doing nothing。 （And one person/business/locale/country can make a difference。） The themes that are directly from the book are the need to use organic growing methods for crops and to limit population growth。 From other reading on organic growing， I do know it takes time to make the transition to organic growing but it can be done gradually， which is better than inaction。 In addition， I'm doing my part by having had only one child。 That means someone else can have three。 I didn't sign on for one but it worked out that way， which turned out to suit me fine。 Now can we do something about plastic？ 。。。more
Antonio Meridda
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