The Little Green Handbook: a guide to critical environmental trends
by Ron Nielsen
Scribe Publications
432pp B+ format pb
Pub date: February 2005
Rights sold to:
North American - Picador
Book description:
While debates about the state of the global environment rage on many fronts, it is often hard to get a perspective on the dimensions of the challenges we face. Just how serious are our environmental problems? And are we doing enough to deal with them?
How many people can the planet sustain? What are the long-term effects of continued environmental damage? How fast is the process of global warming? What are the implications of our continued dependence on fossil fuels? How much fresh water is available and how long will it last?
The Little Green Book is a unique reference work that draws together scientific evidence across a range of inter-related fields to present a clear, and often alarming, picture of the state of the planet.
By 2030:
• Despite the Kyoto Protocol, carbon emissions are likely to increase to 15 billion tonnes a year;
• Up to four billion people will live with severe water shortages;
• There will be three times less arable land available than needed to adequately feed the world’s population.
Dr Ron Nielsen persuasively argues that global economic progress based on the destruction of the natural environment is unsustainable, and that radical action is needed to avoid catastrophic consequences.
Time is running out, but we still have a chance to choose our future. The Little Green Book provides the framework to fully comprehend the magnitude of the earth’s plight.
Quotes and reviews:
‘Ron Nielsen’s book is a fantastic reference ... What’s amazing about this book is the amount of data and research material put into it ... it certainly belongs in any good school or university library.’ — Tony O’Loughlin, Australian Bookseller & Publisher
‘The Little Green Handbook gives an excellent summary of the essential facts and figures of global environmental change while giving a broader view of what these continuing developments will mean for humanity ... Nielsen’s attention to detail and breadth of research is extraordinary. His ability to graph and tabulate complex ideas about social decline or the energy crisis in an accessible and interesting form make this book a truly valuable source of information for any environmental or social justice activist.’ — Sarah Thorne, Socialist Worker
‘The intelligent organisation of the material, the concern for the wellbeing of people throughout the world and the easy style kept me engaged till the end ... This book has disturbed me. I hope you read all of it too.’— National Parks Journal
’The Little Green Handbook is an invaluable publication for all who care about our global environment. It is also a timely call to action in terms of making healthy choices and lobbying our politicians to do the same - for all our sakes.’ — Kerry Hennigan, Travelscene International
How long can the world sustain current trends in oil consumption? When will the world reach maximum population levels? What will it take for governments and individuals to change their ways? Dr Ron Nielsen’s book is a fantastic reference to these questions and more. What’s amazing about this book is the amount of data and research material put into it; it’s perfect for that student needing impressive statistics to bolster that difficult assignment. The detraction from it being so well-researched is that the book doesn’t deliver such an enjoyable or coherent read. The book is set out in such a way that you get the sense you’re in a time-warp and you’re back at school, sitting in front of your twelfth-grade teacher. Not to devalue from the material it contains, it certainly belongs in any good school or university library, just not one for the average reader. Although the book covers many topics from ‘Environmental Degradation’ to ‘Conflicts and Increasing Killing Power’, it doesn’t address each topic sufficiently. Most of these topics have had entire books dedicated to them, not simply a chapter. If you liked Simon Adams’ All the Troubles you may like this one with its brief synopsis of global issues.Tony O’Loughlin is a bookseller at The Avenue Bookstore in Melbourne’s Albert Park
This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2005, Thorpe-Bowker
About the author:
Dr Ron Nielsen is a nuclear scientist. He was born and educated in Poland, taught and directed research in the department of nuclear physics at the Australian National University, and has also worked in research institutes in Germany and Switzerland. The author of numerous scientific papers in professional international journals, Dr Nielsen is a recipient of the Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy Award and a 2000 Millennium Medal of Honour, and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics and an active member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He lives on Australia’s Gold Coast.