Verlagstext:
Throughout history, the only way for humanity to grow was by degrading the Earth: chopping down forests, fouling the air and water, and endlessly digging out resources. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the reigning argument has been that taking better care of the planet means radically changing course: reducing our consumption, tightening our belts, learning to share and reuse, restraining growth. Is that argument correct?
Absolutely not. In More from Less, McAfee argues that to solve our ecological problems we don¿t need to make radical changes. Instead, we need to do more of what we¿re already doing: growing technologically sophisticated market-based economies around the world.
How can he possibly make this claim? Because of the evidence. America¿a large, high-tech country that accounts for about 25% of the global economy¿is now generally using less of most resources year after year, even as its economy and population continue to grow. What¿s more, the US is polluting the air and water less, emitting fewer greenhouse gases, and replenishing endangered animal populations. And, as McAfee shows, America is not alone. Other countries are also transforming themselves in fundamental ways.
What has made this turnabout possible? One thing, primarily: the collaboration between technology and capitalism, although good governance and public awareness have also been critical. McAfee does warn of issues that haven¿t been solved, like global warming, overfishing, and communities left behind as capitalism and tech progress race forward. But overall, More from Less is a revelatory, paradigm-shifting account of how we¿ve stumbled into an unexpectedly better balance with nature¿one that holds out the promise of more abundant and greener centuries ahead.
Pressestimmen:
Everyone knows we¿re doomed by runaway overpopulation, pollution, or resource depletion, whichever comes first. Not only is this view paralyzing and fatalistic, but, as Andrew McAfee shows in this exhilarating book, it¿s wrong¿More from Less is fascinating, enjoyable to read, and tremendously empowering.¿
¿Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
¿[McAfee] is convinced that, on balance, we¿re heading the right way: `We need to step on the accelerator, not yank the steering wheel in a different direction.¿ It is precisely his commitment to societal and planetary health that compels him to call on the generative power of tech and capitalism to elevate humanity, as he stands athwart progress and cries, `More!¿¿
¿Wall Street Journal
Aus dem Inhalt:
Contents INTRODUCTION README 1 CHARTER i All the Malthusian Millennia 7 CHARTER 2 Power over the Earth: The Industrial Era 15 CHARTER 3 Industrial Errors 35 CHARTER 4 Earth Day and Its Debates 53 CHARTER 5 The Dematerialization Surprise 75 CHARTER 6 CRIB Notes 87 CHARTER 7 What Causes Dematerialization? Markets and Marvels 99 CHARTERS Adam Smith Said That: A Few Words about Capitalism 125 CHARTER 9 What Else Is Needed? People and Policies 141 CHARTER io The Global Gallop of the Four Horsemen 167 CHARTER ii Getting So Much Better 179 CHARTER 12 Powers of Concentration 199 CHARTER 13 Stressed Be the Tie That Binds: Disconnection 211 xi
CONTENTS CHAPTER 14 Looking Ahead: The World Cleanses Itself This Way 231 CHAPTER 15 Interventions: How to Be Good 247 CONCLUSION Our Next Planet 273