Ehrlich Anne H.

Gerardo Ceballos, Anne H. Ehrlich, and Paul R. Ehrlich serve as witnesses in this trial of human neglect, where the charge is the massive and escalating assault on living things. Nature is being annihilated, not only because of the human population explosion, but also as a result of massive commercial endeavors and public apathy. Despite the well-intentioned work of conservation organizations and governments, the authors warn us that not enough is being done and time is short for the most vulnerable of the world's wild birds and mammals. Thousands of populations have already disappeared, other populations are dwindling daily, and soon our descendants may live in a world containing but a minuscule fraction of the birds and mammals we know today. The Annihilation of Nature is a clarion call for engagement and action. These outspoken scientists urge everyone who cares about nature to become personally connected to the victims of our inadequate conservation efforts and demand that restoration replace destruction. Only then will we have any hope of preventing the worst-case scenario of the sixth mass extinction.

In this provocative book, the authors look at the interaction between population and food supply and offer a powerful and radical strategy for balancing human numbers with nutritional needs. Their proposals include improving the status of women, reducing racism and religious prejudice, reforming the agricultural system, and shrinking the growing gap between rich and poor. "This ambitious, enlightened handbook is a cornucopia of strategies and ideas for concerned citizens and policymakers."--Publishers Weekly "Give equal education and power to women throughout the world, argue the authors: when that happens, birth rates fall and food supplies go up."--San Francisco Chronicle (Best Bets of 1995) " The book] can help us understand the past and possible future of the meals most Westerners take for granted."--Bill McKibben, New York Review of Books "A well-reasoned account of how poverty forces unsustainable use of natural resources . . . a careful and balanced treatment of developments in agriculture . . . that may help food production to stay ahead of population growth."--Basia Zaba, Nature "This generation faces a set of challenges unprecedented in their scope and severity and in the shortness of time left to resolve them. . . . The Stork and the Plow sets these out thoughtfully and] accurately. . . . We can all hope this urgent message is carefully heeded."--Henry W. Kendall, Nobel laureate and Julius A. Stratton Professor of Physics, MIT "A wonderful piece of work."--Partha Dasgupta, American Scientist