The End of a Long Summer by Dianne Dumanoski has been described as a book that has come along at the right time. It provides a source for those who are struggling to put it all together and figure out if the planet has been totally destroyed.
The book contains detailed research which reflects the author's deep concern about the state of the planet. Subjects covered include philosophy, science, and environmental polemics.
End of a Long Summer Challenges Growth
End of a Long Summer challenges the world's devotion to growth, going beyond the current attention to sustainability. The author rethinks how progress is defined and what it means to be a steward of nature. She argues that the myth of controlling nature has been vanquished and that nature is returning with a vengeance.
Dumanoski believes that climate change is only beginning and questions whether any current species will survive. It is her contention that humans have busted up the whole dynamic, the Earth's unified system and metabolism.
She writes that "Sirens are wailing in a planetary emergency. The decades ahead promise unimaginable loss...the century ahead promises to be a wild trip."
The author opines that human domination is done and Nature's back on center stage. She writes, "The rare interlude of climate grace--a long summer--is over."
End of a Long Summer Survival Techniques
While presenting a cacophony of overwhelming disaster, Dumanoski does offer a vision of hope laced with long-term uncertainty and suggests that readers will have to learn how to cope with tragedy. She suggests "shock-proofing the human systems" with functional redundancy in the face of globalization-caused vulnerability, more regional and local self-reliance, and enhanced social capital. She calls for a total redesign of social and economic systems as a way to survive chaos.
Dumanoski moves beyond now-ubiquitous environmental buzzwords about green industries and clean energy to provide a new cultural map through this dangerous passage. Lucid, eloquent, and urgent, The End of the Long Summer deserves a place alongside transformative works such as Silent Spring and The Fate of the Earth.
Kirkus has described End of a Long Summer as “A passionate, precise account of climate change and a persuasive strategy for dealing with ‘Nature’s return to center stage as a critical player in human history.’… Insightful. . . . Convincing.”
About the Author
Dianne Dumanoski has been a chronicler of environmental disasters such as Chernobyl. As an award-winning reporter for the Boston Globe and co-author of Our Stolen Future, she is known for her insightful lectures and courses on science and environmental issues.
Dumanoski, Dianne. End of a Long Summer: Why we must rethink our civilization to survive on a volatile Earth. NY: Crown Publishing, 2009.
Articles about the environmental issues:
Climate Change Affected by Forest Fires
Geothermal Energy: Past and Present
Hydroelectric Alternative Energy Sources
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