Book Release: Sustainable Life on Earth

A 2008 book entitled Sustaining Life on Earth: Environmental and Human Health through Global Governance has been published and co-edited by one of our members, Colin Soskolne.

Dr. Colin Soskolne, professor of epidemiology in the Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, and principal editor of Sustaining Life on Earth says, “We push the boundaries of common sense in all that we do in the name of progress, approaching system level thresholds, and we even exceed the tipping points of these living systems. Business as usual is no longer an option.”

The book is an interdisciplinary collaboration with a broad array of disciplines, from law to health, ecology, biology, economics, social sciences, and ethics, all concerned with the sustainability of living systems. It is anchored in the Earth Charter as the available set of values and principles to which, if we both individually and collectively subscribed would lead us from a path with catastrophic consequences to one of sustainability. The book is designed to save us from ourselves. Based on years of research and peer review, the book is a wake-up call to the world that explains how catastrophic consequences will result from government inaction. It is a collection of essays including several by Science for Peace members, including Helmut Burkhardt, Rose Dyson and Laura Westra.

Soskolne points out that our environmental problems are not confined to global warming. In 2005, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment declared that life-supporting ecosystems are in danger, and that the effects are being felt by people globally. Scientists and concerned citizens around the world are sounding the alarm that we are at risk of catastrophic harms. They argue that the time for political rhetoric and casual engagement is over. It is time to commit to a different path, one that leads to a more sustainable future for all life forms, including humans.

The book comprises 27 contributed chapters over 482 pages. It includes a Teachers’ Guide.

The link for ordering the book is at: http://www.LexingtonBooks.com/ISBN/0739117297.

Colin Soskolne: www.ualberta.ca/~soskolne