Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment
By James Gustave Speth
Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment (Yale University Press, $24) has the potential to engage policy-makers and concerned citizens alike. Author James Gustave Speth, dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, has been a leader in global environmental policy since the 1970s, when he co-founded the Natural Resources Defense Council and advised the Carter administration. Here, he offers an authoritative view of global environmental crises and responses over the past three decades. Identifying threats such as climate change, deforestation and loss of biodiversity, he exposes areas of insufficient response. Speth suggests eight steps to help achieve a sustainable society, including stabilizing the world’s population and transforming the economy in order to properly value natural resources and environmental services. The book’s final chapter, “Resources for Citizens,” explains how readers can take immediate action. (Resources are also available online at redskyatmorning.com.)
— John Courtmanche
