Synopses & Reviews
Today we know what no previous generation knew: the history of the universe and of the unfolding of life on Earth. Through the astonishing combined achievements of natural scientists worldwide, we now have a detailed account of how galaxies and stars, planets and living organisms, human beings and human consciousness came to be. And yet . . . we thirst for answers to questions that have haunted humanity from the very beginning. What is our place in the 14-billion-year history of the universe? What roles do we play in Earth's history? How do we connect with the intricate web of life on Earth?
In Journey of the Universe Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker tell the epic story of the universe from an inspired new perspective, weaving the findings of modern science together with enduring wisdom found in the humanistic traditions of the West, China, India, and indigenous peoples. The authors explore cosmic evolution as a profoundly wondrous process based on creativity, connection, and interdependence, and they envision an unprecedented opportunity for the world's people to address the daunting ecological and social challenges of our times.
Journey of the Universe transforms how we understand our origins and envision our future. Though a little book, it tells a big storyone that inspires hope for a way in which Earth and its human civilizations could flourish together.
This book is part of a larger project that includes a documentary film, an educational DVD series, and a website. The film and the DVD series will be released in 2011. For more information, please consult the website, journeyoftheuniverse.org.
Review
"Gus Speth brought global environmental concerns to the worlds attention nearly a
quarter of a century ago. His extraordinary new book is an impassioned plea to take these issues seriously before it is too late. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to read Red Sky at Morning and take action while we can." Jimmy Carter, former president of the United States
Review
"With concise statistics, bulleted lists, and the calm professionalism of an oncologist, the author is sympathetic to our civilization's economic needs but firm in prescribing some pretty serious lifestyle changes." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"[A] profoundly sobering study." The New York Times
Review
"A wide-ranging, powerful argument. This book has enormous credibility it's the firsthand report of the American who's been closest to the front lines at one negotiation after another." Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
Review
"An extremely important and authoritative book. Gus Speth is one of the few people who has the credentials to integrate the scientific aspects of environmental decline with analysis of possible political solutions, and he does so brilliantly." Simon Levin, Princeton University, and author of Fragile Dominion
Review
"Red Sky is an excellent synthesis of the work and ideas of many environmentalists, environmental scientists, and political leaders who have worked on environmental issues over the last few decades. Gus Speth's principal point is that business-as-usual is not working. I couldn't agree more. Red Sky is an engaging read." Lester Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute
Review
"Red Sky at Morning is an environmental tour de force a penetrating look at why efforts to halt environmental degradation have failed and a compelling vision for what we must do about it." Kathryn S. Fuller, President & CEO, World Wildlife Fund
Synopsis
This book will change the way we understand the future of our planet. It is both alarming and hopeful. James Gustave Speth, renowned as a visionary environmentalist leader, warns that in spite of all the international negotiations and agreements of the past two decades, efforts to protect Earth's environment are not succeeding. Still, he says, the challenges are not insurmountable. He offers comprehensive, viable new strategies for dealing with environmental threats around the world.
The author explains why current approaches to critical global environmental problems climate change, biodiversity loss, deterioration of marine environments, deforestation, water shortages, and others don't work. He offers intriguing insights into why we have been able to address domestic environmental threats with some success while largely failing at the international level. Setting forth eight specific steps to a sustainable future, Speth convincingly argues that dramatically different government and citizen action are now urgent. If ever a book could be described as "essential," this is it.
Synopsis
Why we are failing to protect the global environment. What we canand mustdo to succeed.
Synopsis
In this powerful book, a renowned environmental leader warns that despite all the international negotiations of the past two decades, efforts to protect Earths environment are not succeeding. He explains why this is so and presents eight specific steps that governments and citizens can take to achieve a sustainable future.
About the Author
Brian Thomas Swimme is a professor on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where he teaches courses on evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. He is author, with Thomas Berry, of The Universe Story. Mary Evelyn Tucker is senior lecturer and research scholar, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Yale Divinity School. She is co-founder and co-director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale and author of Worldly Wonder: Religions Enter Their Ecological Phase.