Read more
Humans are overexploiting nature, consuming too much energy, too many raw materials, too much land. In short, the current economic and living conditions of mankind, especially here in the West, are not sustainable.
Who would disagree with this verdict? The evidence seems overwhelming: species extinction, rainforest deforestation, scarcity of raw materials, soil erosion, plastic waste, ecological footprint and, of course, climate change. But how reliable are these indicators? Are there perhaps also other indications, positive developments? And are all these problems of equal urgency?
This book gives you answers: well-founded, comprehensible, to the point. It proves that the reports and headlines on ecological issues in the mainstream media are often one-sided, exaggerated and thus misleading. The book does not trivialize, but it differentiates. Using the relevant international reports and databases, it presents overall contexts where otherwise usually only individual, striking figures are picked out.
With over 70 graphic illustrations, the book thus paints a new picture of the state of the planet and of the effects of human economic activity and consumption. At the end is a clear list of priorities for the real sustainability challenges - for humanity as a whole, and also for the people living in the West.
List of contents
Introduction.- Part I - Three theses.- The most important challenge is: Switching from fossil to renewable energy sources.- "The Western way of economy and life is ecologically unsustainable" - not true.- It is worth fighting.- Part II - Basics.- World population.- Land use.- Food.- Drinking water.- Part III - Energy and raw materials.- Energy.- Raw materials.- Part IV - Ecological hotspots.- The "ecological footprint".- Biodiversity and species extinction.- Forest loss - Deforestation. Drinking water.- Part III - Energy and raw materials.- Energy.- Raw materials.- Part IV - Ecological hotspots.- The "ecological footprint".- Biodiversity and species extinction.- Forest loss - Deforestation of rainforests.- Plastic waste in the oceans.- Dead zones in the oceans - the P/N cycle.- Pollutants in the environment.- Bibliography.
About the author
Dr. Thomas Unnerstall, born in 1960, studied physics, mathematics and philosophy in Germany and the USA. After receiving his doctorate in physics, he first worked for several years in the Ministry of the Environment in Baden-Württemberg and then held management positions in the energy industry for over 20 years. Today he is an international consultant and book author. His books "Faktencheck Energiewende" and "Energiewende verstehen" have also been published by Springer-Verlag.
