Freaks like to have fun

You too can have fun if you think like a freak. For a vast majority the idea of fun connotes that you aren't serious. In reality, however, there is no correlation between appearing to be serious and actually being good at what you do. A freak is what an ordinary is not and is therefore looked down upon by the ordinary, the vast majority.  

Barry Marshall was indeed a freak. Not convinced that ulcers in the stomach are caused by stress or spicy foods, this Australian doctor set out toward finding the root cause of illness rather than simply swatting away symptoms. The US$ 8 billion ulcer industry was not too pleased with what Marshall was up to. By infecting himself with ulcer, perhaps the only person to have done so, Barry Marshall was helped by his colleague Robin Warren in uncovering the bacterial cause of ulcer. For reliving ulcer patients from a lifetime of doctors’ visit and unrestricted consumption of expensive Zantac, both were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2005. 

Not all freak activities could land you with a Nobel but being freak will surely make you do more of what you love to do. You will think about it before you go to sleep and as soon as you wake up, without carrying undue heaviness on your mind. A freak sees things from a literally new angle, often ends up gaining an edge in solving a problem. It is this relentless curiosity of an eight-year old in you that the world may not like, calling you a crank and even avoiding you, something that a freak should get accustomed to. 

Thinking a new angle can fetch you a fortune! A lean and thin Japanese, studying economics, could double the world record of eating maximum hot digs and bun (HDB) in 12 minutes. Before he entered the Coney Island contest, the record stood at little over 25 HDB and one could imagine 27 or even 28 HDB to be the new record. But the 23-year old Takeru Kobayashi ate 50 HDB, more than four hot dogs and buns per minutes for 12 straight minutes. In achieving such a rare feat, Kobayashi had thought about the problem from a new angle. Avoiding the obvious question:  How do I eat more hot dogs? Kobayashi had posed a different question: How do I make hot dogs easier to eat? Only be redefining the problem was he able to discover a new set of solutions.    

Clearly, both Levitt and Dubner continued to have fun ever since they published their first two books – Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics. The first two books simply used data to tell stories, throwing light on parts of society that often lay in shadow. Those who have read the previous books may find the latest a bit less exciting, as it is somewhat prescriptive. Though not a self-help book, this book in the series tries to offer some advice that may occasionally be useful. It seems the journalist Dubner had more say than economist Levitt in this book, ‘economics’ has disappeared in favor of ‘freak’ from the title, encouraging the reader to think a bit differently, a bit harder and a bit more freely.    

Yet, it would be hard to imagine if anyone will aim the penalty kick at the center even when it has been statistically proven that the goal keepers jump toward the kicker’s left corner 57 per cent of the time, and to the right only 41. But sometimes in life going straight up the middle might be the boldest move. Who knows! The authors contend that the only way to have fun is to let go the conventional wisdoms that torment us; let go the artificial limits that hold us back; and let go the fear of admitting what we don’t know. Think Like A Freak makes interesting, absorbing, engaging, and somewhat reflective reading. 

Think like a Freak
by Stevan D.Levitt and Stephen J.Dubner
Allen Lane, UK/India
Extent: 268, Price: Rs. 499

The Limits to Extraction

The Club of Rome had shot into fame with its first authoritative report The Limits to Growth, released in 1972 The seminal report on the future of mankind had not only triggered a hot debate but degenerated in all-out smear campaign.. The public perception on the report was nothing more than a series of wrong predictions made by a group of deluded scientists. So much so, subsequent reports by this global think tank did not merit much attention.

Extracted is the latest report from the elite club. Had The Limits to Growth attained popularity, the title of this report could easily have been The Limits to Extraction. However, the nature of the report has remained much the same. Digging out the history of mining, from the prehistoric days to the modern age, the report suggests that mankind has almost extracted almost the entire (cheap) mineral resources alongside plundering of the earth’s ecosystems and displacement of millions in the process. It is one of the biggest global industries but the gradual depletion of low-cost minerals, including fossil fuels, is fast becoming a major limitation to economic growth. As high grade ores are extracted first, it will become much more expensive to produce most mineral commodities in future. Given the growing demand for precious metals and rare earths, a resource war is likely to emerge among countries that hold monopoly over mineral deposits.

Since everything we use cannot be grown, the same must be mined. Therefore, the political economy of mining makes it an important growth engine for most countries. China has 97 per cent of all active rare earths, including exclusive deposits of molybdenum. South Africa holds 82 per cent of global platinum. China leads countries like Chile, Australia and Argentina in global copper output. Tibet has become the new mining destination for China. Under a new regime, India intends to go full throttle to extract its mineral deposits. 

Extracted is written by a team of experts, headed by Italian scientist Ugo Bardi. The report says that deposits of many high-grade ores are running low: copper, zinc, nickel, gold, silver and others are expected to reach their productive peak within less than two decades. Not only will it affect our lifestyles but agriculture production could decline as well. By the time the world wakes up to the impact of mining, plundering of earth ecosystem would have caused lasting impact by contributing to the climate change. 

The solution, says Bardi, is to replace costly minerals with cheaper ones; recycle as much as possible, and generate energy through renewable energy sources such as sun, wind, and water. It is not far when the mining machines and the drilling rigs will disappear without corresponding decline in the demand for minerals. 

Written for the consumptive generation, Ugo Bardi has dedicated the book to his son, who is a geologist. 

Extracted
by Ugo Bardi
Chelsea Green Publishing, USA
Extent: 273, Price: US$ 24.95

A shorter version of this review has also appeared on Anthem EnviroExperts Review, coordinated by Prof. Larry Susskind of MIT  

Making sense of one's surroundings

In a predominantly growth-obsessed market-driven consumerist culture, the environment as a subject has remained at the margins of popular perception – arcane to some and obscure to others. Environment no longer registers! Even if it does, it is often from the perspective of highly polarized environment-development debates. That environment sustains all life forms rarely merit a majority concern. 

Why is modern living distanced from the environment? Could near absence of inter-generational transfer of empathy towards environment be the prime reason! Stories, both oral and written, have ceased to be the channel for transferring the subtleties of our inter-dependence on nature and myriad other life forms. Stark monetization of human existence has further reduced environment into a set of by-products and services that can be traded. No surprise therefore that environment has been pushed to the margins of social consciousness with the riches of nature being squandered for petty gains.     

Through his collection of refreshing short stories, noted Kannada writer K P Purnachandra Tejasvi connects the civilized with the wild, evoking sentience towards what is often considered ‘given’. Set amidst the forest adjoining his village Mudigere in Chickamaglur district, each of the fifteen stories are encounters in the wild, capturing the innate intelligence of various animals in interacting with humans. The strange behavior of the jungle fowl; the mythical existence of snakes; the defense mechanism of the mud tortoise; and the amazing commonsense of the simians provide compelling insights on the virtues of co-existence. 

Considered as one of the finest prose writers, Tejasvi’s stories are neither obtrusive nor preachy. Full of wit and humor, he delightfully transforms real-life incidents in the forest into stories which have environment as the central character. The storyteller doesn’t lay undue emphasis on environment, leaving it to the reader’s imagination to create possibilities in his or her own depths. These are not just stories but experiences in the wild, making the reader aware about environment even without realizing it. The stories neither compete nor negotiate an existing situation, but create an enduring relationship between the reader and the human/non-human characters. 

There is unmistakable hint of richness lurking in each of the stories in The Story of My Environment. Tejasvi has an exceptional sensitivity towards environment which together with his comic genius helps transform this collection into a work of art. As a tribute to Tejasvi’s brilliance, this collection of short stories is 'highly recommended' for readers of all age groups!

The Story of My Environment
by K P Puranachandra Tejasvi
Pustakaprakashana, Mysore
Extent: 192, Price: Rs 140

The days of the jackals!

Are the rich, educated people as clever as jackals? Dressed in the garb of development, with the laws to their side, don’t they devour fields and forests to create a new social class – of the disposed and displaced? Forced to bear it with gritted teeth and suppressed whimpers, the injury of displacement has left permanent scars on the souls of millions! In this award-winning novel, Vishwas Patil lends voice to the pain and anguish of the people of Jambhli, who have been ousted to make way for the construction of a large dam.   

Close to reality, the saga of resistance conjures up multiple images of people who refuse to surrender their ancestral land to the juggernaut of development. Rooted to their cultural inheritance, they question the veracity of forced relocation which in no way can compensate the sweat that they had poured into their lands. Caught in the rehabilitation trap, the Jambhlikars find themselves battling petty politicians on one hand and apathetic officials on the other. Patil’s accomplished prose and fine sensibility captures their unending ordeal. 

Utterly relevant to our time, the heart-rending narrative exposes the system that acts like a ghost, riding on poor’s neck and pushing them deeper and deeper into the quicksand till they perish. Since the dams get choked with silt much before the oustees are resettled, the plight of the displaced rarely persists long in popular perception. Who will mourn someone who dies everyday! Full of rage and disbelief, A dirge for the dammed is a painful saga of the new ‘class’ of people exiled from their homelands. 

Divided into seven parts, the novel braids together several lives and desires. If there is Khairmode Guruji who is in relentless pursuit of justice then there is Haibati whose unending search for alternative employment reflects system’s hostility towards the displaced. Between these two lead characters are many others whose frustrating struggle sustains narrative tension in flawlessly elegant prose. The politics of rehabilitation, which forms a major part of the plot, is explored with a thoroughness befitting an investigative journalist, and yet retaining all the elements of a primarily fictional work. 

With an innate desire to bring the hidden dimensions of development to light, Patil spends inordinate amount of energy elucidating the details of every intrigue. The sub-stories of men and women whose lives have been destroyed by the project evoke strong empathy, mocking at those who hold notion of ‘public interest’ supreme in the quest for development. Poor don’t have ten doors open for them; they have to squeeze their lives through the only door. Development shuts the only door! 

It is heart-rending story, translated to perfection by Keerti Ramachandran, that is a must read for all those who have some stake in ‘development’.
  
A Dirge for the Dammed 
by Vishwas Patil 
Hachette India, New Delhi 
Extent: 471, Price: Rs. 450

Relentless, and therefore a changemaker!

How often it has been said that some of the most difficult problems have simple solutions! But what about solutions which evolve first but are tagged to problems later?  Such solutions come from ordinary people doing extraordinary things – often solving problems which they don’t directly encounter. Ten such extraordinary people, who fit into the genre of social entrepreneurs, come alive in The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator, offering enlightening account of their personal journeys into the world of amazing possibilities. 

Himself a successful innovator, having applied mobile technology for social change in the developing world, Ken Banks considers ‘reluctance’ to be the defining character for an innovator to be and invites readers to question his stand! Couldn’t ‘accidental’ or ‘serendipitous’ be a better choice? In fact, observations indicate that innovations often originate without conscious thought, presumably in the hidden layers of the mind, and emerge intuitively. If one were to rephrase the words of sculptor Eric Gill, ‘innovator is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of innovator’. Given the right environment, an innovative idea will take shape against prevailing odds. 

The fact that an innovator doesn’t have to adhere to any stereotypes makes him or her less vulnerable from being ‘reluctant’. No surprise therefore that most innovators are average guys off the street; it's often their simple, homespun down-to-earth thinking that saves the day. Take the case of obstetrician Laura Stachel whose innovative idea delivered a solar-based solution to enhance survival prospects in power-starved Nigeria. On the other hand, Erik Hersman created technology hub which allows users to share breaking news through text messages in Kenya. Each of the ten stories captures the twists and twirls of bringing their innovations to scale.   

Back to the usage of the term ‘reluctant’, I suspect if innovator Brij Kothari, featured in the book, portrays any reluctance in pursuing his idea of ‘same language sub-titling’ as an educational innovation. Despite slow progress on policy front, Kothari has not been reluctant to persist with his idea. I would imagine a ‘reluctant innovator’ to be one who reflects a period of doubt before foraying into the subject. Finding purpose is often toughest part of the process; once clear, right kind of passion takes care of hurdles and pitfalls. Each case in this edited volume presents relentlessness (not reluctance) as the common thread in making big the innovative idea. 

For those who are itching to do ‘something’, this book is as much a source of inspiration as a guide to change the world. Less related to the innovators featured in the book, the idea of the term ‘reluctant innovator’ may click with those discerning readers who may have doubts about taking a plunge into the world of ‘social entrepreneurs’. Though majority of cases in the book relate to the health sector, the book is a welcome addition to the growing volume of literature on social entrepreneurs. 

The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator 
by Ken Banks 
London Publishing Partnership, UK 
Extent: 212, Price: £12.99

Requiem for an urban drain!

What was river Thames to London in 1858 is the river Yamuna to Delhi now. The only difference being that the Indian Parliament is not close enough for its curtains to be soaked in lime to stop the stink emanating from the waste-laden river from disrupting the proceedings, as had happened in London then. Could its distance from the seat of power be the reason for gross neglect of the river which, for most part of the year, qualifies to be no more than an open drain? 

Neither is there a policy in India to ensure continuous freshwater flow in perennial rivers nor a law to protect a flowing river from being used as an open drain. Net result is that far from harnessing its ecological munificence, the glacier-fed river of immense cultural significance is being allowed to be wasted away in the capital. Official apathy notwithstanding, a motley group of ecologists have drawn together a ‘manifesto’, a declaration on plight of the river and views on its preservation. Published to commemorate an Indo-German outreach project on river Yamuna in India and Elbe in Germany, the bilingual manifesto offers a multi-disciplinary perspective on everything one would have liked to know about the river.  

It is quite unlikely; however, if the veritable decline of the river will be reversed anytime soon. Neither has there been a public outcry against its continuous deterioration nor a political resolve to bring the river back to life. Even a child knows that for a river to flow it should have an adequate amount of freshwater all the year round. And unless the city stops pouring untreated sewage into it, the river will continue to remain an open drain. Penned down by two river experts, Himanshu Thakkar and Manoj Mishra, the manifesto offers suggestions that can be worked to create a way forward.  It stops short of recommending ‘tough’ measures, though. 

Had Charles Dickens been alive, he wouldn't have been shy in describing Yamuna as ‘a dark, stinking sludge, and the scene of petty crimes.’....Link 

Yamuna Manifesto
by Ravi Agarwal and Till Krause (Eds)
Toxics Link/SANDRP, New Delhi
Extent: 122, Price: Not Indicated

Mind the roof top

If current geological estimations are any indication, there are 80 million tonnes of copper, 2,000 tonnes of gold and 30 million tonnes of lead and zinc ex tractable from the Tibetan plateau. The cumulative value of recoverable metals is worth US$ 420 billion. To imagine that the Chinese would have ripped apart the rooftop to the world in search of the embedded fortune is far from true because, as things stand, the region is cold, its air is perilously thin, its people are unwelcoming and it is poor in infrastructure. 

But all this is to going to change as China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, ending in 2015, calls for massive investment in copper, gold, silver, chromium and molybdenum mining in the region. With an aim to achieve 30 per cent self-sufficiency in copper production by the end of the plan period, a state-driven agglomeration of the entire Chinese copper industry will be sufficiently capitalized to finance major expansions in Tibet, which is fast becoming China’s new copper production base. The Tibetan plateau - almost one-sixtieth of the entire global landscape – will be the object for intensive and potentially devastating mining and extraction projects in the years ahead. The signs are ominous!

Without doubt, Gabriel Lafitte has profound knowledge about the landscape, its people and their cultural resistance to the winds of change aimed at destroying the inner strengths of the Tibetans, cultivated in solitude in the mountains. Given the ecological fragility of the region, mining activities in the watersheds of major rivers, most of which are transboundary, will have serious impact on hundreds of millions of people downstream in South and South East Asia. China’s track record on environmental concerns evokes little confidence, though. 

Spoiling Tibet is a timely warning to the world on China’s hunger for mineral wealth of Tibet, and the unscrupulous manner in which this wealth will get extracted. In the Chinese growth agenda the political economy of mining plays a major role, one that will silence the feeble voices of resistance by increasing the non-Tibetan population in the region through mass tourism. But given its global implications, should the world permit unilateral desecration of the roof top!...Link

Spoiling Tibet 
by Gabriel Lafitte 
Zed Books, UK 
Extent: 204, Price: $29.95

This book review has also appeared on Anthen EnviroExperts Reviews, moderated by Prof. Larry Susskind of MIT.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder

As the boat plies upstream through the glittering splendor of the marble cliffs, the tranquility of river Narmada reflects the changing moods of nature at the picturesque Bhedaghat. The river and the rocks rival each other in beauty, yet try to come closer at ‘Bandrakudni’ – where a monkey could perhaps jump across the river – and challenge each other at the majestic Dhuandhar waterfalls.  For the ordinary mortals, that is all about the holy river.   

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, though. Narmada river is a living museum of art, more than what remains adorned in its archaeological past. If Bandarkudni reflects her modesty and self-restraint, the thunder at the Dhuandhar symbolizes its splendor and exuberance. All along its 1,312 kilometers journey from its origin at Amarkantak until it empties into the Gulf of Khambat, the river leaves its artistic impressions as it cuts through mighty rocks, tugs along dense forests and passes human dwellings. Much of it has been captured by Amritlal Vegad, who completed his circumambulation of the river at the ripe age of 70 by foot, however, undertaken in parts over a 22 year period. His irresistible story-telling style blends geography with astronomy, art with the environment, and literature with philosophy    

“On the banks of the Narmada I saw both the supreme grandeur of nature and the simple beauty of humanity’, reminiscences Vegad. While over the millennia innumerable devotees have undertaken the hardship of religious parikrama of the river which is traditionally completed in 3 years, 3 months and 13 days, much of their travails and triumphs has been perceptibly captured by the author in what he calls ‘a cultural parikrama’. Trained as an artist under the watchful eyes of the legendary Nandlal Bose at the Santiniketan, Vegad draws attention to the finer details of the journey with interesting reflections on encounters with the ‘self’. The writing vividly captures the simplicity and devotion of those who live by the Narmada, and the hardships of those who undertake its parikrama.  

Through his stubbornness to walk along the banks of the river, Vegad demonstrates his flame of determination – proving that only by overcoming trouble can the spirit be lifted to a higher level. Writes Vegad, ‘I learnt an important lesson on this journey: if our mind and reason try to stand in the way of realizing our dreams, as indeed they sometimes do, we must not hesitate to dodge out of the way….there is so much more to cold reason and logic’. River of Joy is a narrative on grit and determination, as much on appreciation of art and aesthetics.

Translated from Hindi by Marietta Maddrell, a British national who has not only adopted the Indian way of life but has renamed herself ‘Mira’, the translation captures the original spirit of the writer. With the holy river facing unprecedented damming for water diversion, it is quite unlikely if the tradition of river circumambulation would last long....Link

Narmada: River of Joy
by Amritlal Vegad
Banyan Tree, Indore
Extent: 220 pages, Price:  Rs 300

The glass is not half empty

Marked by mass wastage and competing demands, water is presumed to be the precursor of a probable 'third world war'. Situations with respect to water sharing amidst several countries is perilously close to what Mark Twain had remarked, 'whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over'. It seems the universal fluid that will shape humanity's future is soaked on blood.

Not deterred by threatening climate clouds that may accelerate glacial melting and transform water flows in major river basins, Terje Tvedt portrays an optimistic picture on humanity's water future after traveling through some of the most amazing locations across five continents. With professional background in geography, history and political science, the author offers multiple perspectives for the reader to choose from. While Tvedt is forthright in saying that 'howsoever grandiose attempts to manage water may be, water does not allow itself to be completely controlled', he is equally candid in concluding that 'qualified technological optimism is the only optimism that endures'.

Placing his immensely readable narrative on water in three distinct sections, the author views the impact of 'water blindness' across countries; examines implications of 'water control' in contested river basins; and presents power of science and technology to usher in a bright 'water future'. Tvedt avoids taking an ideological position on whether the glass is half full or half empty, instead leaves it for the reader to make an objective assessment on the impending water crises. Howsoever the world might respond to the imminent crises, water fundamentally binds together the past and the future in expressing a deep continuity of our whole evolution as a species.

Despite the fact that Tvedt's original writing in Norwegian was published in 2007, the English translation by Richard Daly published in 2014 is refreshingly original. More than a travelogue it is an authoritative treatise on water that makes a compelling reading. It is one book that I intend keeping on my bedside; to use it as a ready reckoner on exotic places should an opportunity arise for this reviewer to undertake similar travels. If I am sounding envious of Terje Tvedt so be it. At least, I am learning about global responses to water issues in the process....Linkhttp://www.d-sector.com/Book-details.asp?id=92

A Journey in the Future of Water
by Terje Tvedt
I.B.Tauris, UK
Extent: 262, Price: £14.99

An extended version of this review has also appeared on Anthem EnviroExperts Review, coordinated by Prof. Larry Susskind of MIT   

Keeping count of the water footprints

Free water allocation resolves temporal scarcity but at the cost of inducing lasting crises. Such populist measures stretch existing supply alongside stressing perennial water sources. Since water bills are measured in currency and not in volume of water consumed, each new allocation only adds to amplifying the demand-supply gap. Though access to water is a human right that every state is obliged to protect, the challenge lies in concurrent reduction in ‘the water footprint of a growing consumer society’ to strike a balance.

The water footprint of a commodity is the total volume of freshwater used – that is consumed or polluted – to produce the commodity, measured over the entire production chain. Simply put, it means that 8,000 liters of water produces a pair of jeans and a can of aerated drink consumes between 168 to 309 liters of water in its production process. Created by Arjen Hoekstra, a professor of water management at the University of Twente, Netherlands, the concept has meticulously worked out the water footprint of most commodities under varying conditions.

It is quite unlikely, however, if anyone will shun his or her consumptive needs to free freshwater, locked up in products, for fellow citizens living in un-served urban shanties. And there are valid reasons for such a behavior. Since consumers are not aware of any connection between water scarcity in a society and the water footprints of its citizen, they are unlikely to hold themselves responsible for the plight of those who lack access to water within their locality or beyond. No surprise, therefore, that freshwater allocation remains an exercise in politics.

Since consumers do not care about the origin or the fate of products, market gets a message that water is not a relevant factor in producing for the masses and therefore ends up flouting weak regulations. On the other hand, people do broadly believe in water conservation but their actual behavior is often in contrast. This creates a negative spiral, because one of the reasons that consumer behavior does not correspond to the initial positive attitude of most people is the feeling that most products do not save water anyway.

With water being a free input, economics do not factor in scarcity of freshwater resources in computing cost of the end-product. No wonder, cheap stuff from China has a high demand without any regard to the fact that the rivers in China are heavily polluted.

An ordinary consumer can hardly relate to water crises in China vis-a-vis import of cheap products. Since one-fifth of all freshwater appropriated in the world is consumed in the production of export commodities, the idea of water crises being a ‘local’ matter is a gross misconception.

On their own, companies are unlikely to get into the act of reducing the water footprints of their products. In fact, there is hardly any company in the world incorporating water stewardship into its business model. Most companies still restrict their operational water footprint but leave aside the supply-chain water footprint. 
Supply-chain water footprint is critical and is many times greater than the operational water footprint. For instance, aerated drink has more than 95 per cent of its water footprint in its supply-chain of raw water, processing systems and transport. 

Companies have the apprehension that consumers may not pay higher price for products which have reduced supply-chain water footprint. In reality, however, if consumers can afford to buy organic products at a premium there is no reason to assume otherwise. “Governments can and should play a key role by providing incentives to consumers to buy such products and to companies to provide them,” opines Prof Hoekstra. This can be done through lowering of value-added tax for such products alongside a meaningful certification scheme. 

Given the fact that the growth in sales of fair-trade and organic products has been on the rise, good water stewardship is not yet part of the existing labels on products on the supermarket shelves. It would make sense if consumers start demanding greater transparency about the underlying water footprint of products, so that one is better informed about the hidden water resources use and associated impacts. Several consumers in the west already shun meat after realizing that a kilogram of beef consumes no less than 15,000 liters of water. 

While consumers can play their part in reducing consumption of products with big footprint, the onus is on companies that wave ‘green’ flag of sustainability to reduce the water footprint of its products. In a rush to facilitate economic growth, the governments have lost sight of promoting efficient use of freshwater resources. In doing so, they are doing more harm than good. No wonder, a majority of rivers in the country are anything but sewers and most groundwater aquifers are dead for all practical purposes.  

The idea of corporate social responsibility would need to be reinvented. No longer should it be enough for companies to invest just two per cent of its profit on social causes, reduction in the water footprint ought to be a mandatory precondition for companies to earn a ‘responsible water footprint’ tag....Link  

The Water Footprint of Modern Consumer Society
by Arjen Hoekstra
Routledge/Earthscan, UK
Extent: 204 pages; Price: US$ 40

(First published in daily Deccan Herald, Feb 5, 2014)

Questioning the idea of a conscious planet

Quite at a tangent to the dominant discourse on reducing pollution load on the environment to make it hospitable for life-forms at the United Nations conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972, James Lovelock had proposed Gaia Hypothesis the same year wherein he had argued that the planet was regulated by and for the life forms occurring on the planet. In simple terms it meant that the planet has a 'consciousness'.

Four decades later, Toby Tyrrell, a professor of Earth System Science at the University of Southampton puts the hypothesis through some serious tests. For Tyrrell it is hard to accept Lovelock's assertion that the planet adjusts itself to the needs of the living organisms. Citing the manner in which the magnetic termites engineer its mounds to minimise exposure to sunlight, the author contends that organisms instead adapt to the environment. Else, the planet would have moderated the negative impact of greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere.

As it is now understood, the Earth's atmosphere is not a biological construct but is determined mainly by geological forces and astronomical processes. What begs an answer is the compelling question: why despite modifications of the Earth over the geological timescale the planet has continued to remain hospitable to living species? The interplay of biotic and abiotic systems is more complex than what has been understood thus far. By raising fundamental questions on Gaia hypothesis, Tyrrell seeks to develop a deeper understanding on how our environment works and how far it can be negotiated against human-induced changes during the coming decades.

One third of this well argued book consists of end notes, many of which are as readable as the main text. By questioning the arguments for and against the Gaia hypothesis, Tyrrell has done a great service to enriching the ongoing discourse on making our planet hospitable for all life forms, now and in the future. The author, however, draws a thoughtful but challenging conclusion: ‘Ensuring that the global environment remains propitious for life is up to us, and there is no Gaian safety net to come to the rescue if we mismanage it'....Link

On Gaia 
by Toby Tyrrell 
Princeton University Press, Princeton 
Extent: 311, Price: $35

Trust no one.....if you may!

History has never been as readable - intriguing, engrossing and gripping! By weaving fact and fiction together, Alex Rutherford has brought the historical characters of the bygone era to life in his Empire of the Moghul series. The Serpent’s Tooth is the fifth novel in the series, devoted to the reign of Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan who ruled over a colossally wealthy empire of 100 million souls in the early seventeen century.

One can feel the presence of Shah Jahan as he swings his legendary sword alamgir in the battlefield; as he conducts court from rubies and turquoises studded silver throne; and as he spends romantic moments with his beautiful wife Mumtaz. Rutherford shows historical characters not just as names in dull history textbooks, but as people with emotions and passions, loves and jealousies, dreams and insecurities not too different from any one of us.

Like his ancestors, Shah Jahan had to follow the savage ‘throne or coffin’ tradition to gain his throne. It goes without saying that through the Moghul history, brother had fought brother and sons their fathers for the throne, and Shah Jahan has been no exception. Shah Jahan had fought his brothers and half-brothers to the throne, his sons were no less ruthless and murderous towards each other. Caught in the crossfire, Shah Jahan had spent last few years of his life imprisoned in the historic Agra Fort. As he sat alone in the darkness he had wondered why there had been so much death and destruction within his family. What had the Moghuls done to deserve it? God had allowed them unbounded power and wealth but denied them the peace and harmony that even the humblest family had a right to expect. His name meaning ‘Ruler of the World’ had mocked him.

Rutherford not only handles historical text with care but adds value to the narrative from his travels through some of the important landmarks of then Moghul Empire. The end product is a totally absorbing narrative, an amazing page turner. The characters are authentic and the actions are real, as one gets a ringside view of the shifting sands of politics, the tragic consequences of deceit, and the horrifying view of raw savagery. Rutherford makes the reader relive every moment, at time as an onlooker and at other moment as a courtier. The beauty of the story lies in the writing.

In his impeccable style, Rutherford transports the reader into another world. So much so that this reviewer could not hold himself back from reading the previous four volumes in the series. The Empire of the Moghul has been full of colour and beauty, joys and tears, love and deceit set against the backdrop of a glorious period in Indian history.
    
If you haven’t read Alex Rutherford; your lessons in history shall remain incomplete....Link

Empire of the Moghul: The Serpent’s Tooth
by Alex Rutherford        
Hachette, New Delhi
Extent: 421, Price: Rs.599

Has the world gone mad?

So, it would seem! Else, all dreams for better arrangement of the world would not have been attacked, poisoned, discredited and ridiculed. From Cuba to Rwanda and from Congo to Iraq, countries refusing to Western dictate have succumbed to atrocities unleashed in the guise of ensuring 'political stability'. Accumulated evidence indicates that western terrorism has consumed lives of some 55 million people around the world since the end of World War II.

The shocking reality is that such global arrangements have not only gone unchallenged in the West, it has often been accepted without much opposition in rest of the world too. The conversation between a renowned social critic and an investigative photo journalist offers a painful reflection on how millions of 'un-people', a term George Orwell had coined for people who do not matter, continue to be victims of the neo-colonial whip.

In 173 pages, the conversation traverses across the world to unveil the footprints of imperialist brutality. The facts are devastating and so are the manipulative designs of the powers that be. There is not much to choose between Europe's brutal colonial legacy and America's neo-colonial hegemony. The form may have changed, from armed combat to drone warfare, but the content and the intent remain the same. The West, despite few setbacks, seems to be trying to consolidate its control over the world. It is seemingly not done yet!

The trouble with this otherwise absorbing conversation between two intellectuals who are in the prime of their career is that both have similar insights on the geopolitics of organised crime by the West. Consequently, one doesn't get to the depth of why-the-world-is-the-way-it-is and how-it-could-be-different-from-what-it-is? Exposing the hypocrisy of the imperialist forces, however, the conversation takes a definite shot at the media reinforced argument which presents terrorism in relation to Islamic extremists only. Since terrorism refers to a methodology of using violence and terror to serve political ends, the world ought to worry more about ‘western terrorism’!....Link

On Western Terrorism: From Hiroshima to Drone Warfare
by Noam Chomsky and Andre Vitchek
Pluto Press, UK
Extent: 192, Price: Rs. 1,022

The heroics of a cultural icon

Endowed with enormous virtues, Krsna has been differently understood: as an epitome of beauty, as an invincible warrior and as a mythological reincarnation. It has perhaps been so because the pre-classical figure existed in three distinct roles: as a charming pastoral figure; as a warrior hero; and as the divine incarnation. Of these three, Kevin McGrath analyses the role of Krsna as a military strategist and a moral teacher.

McGrath’s Krsna is mortal, endowed with a great fluidity of speech. Throughout his ksatriya life, Krsna excelled as a dextrous and agile performer in all situations, never inflexible, always responsive but without losing control. If Krsna could be viciously obdurate one moment, he was gentle sage the other moment. Since he didn’t draw any blood in the battlefield, his words become the most potent weapon used in the war.

Unlike other incarnations of Visnu, notably Ram, who had led life as a ksatriya, it is Krsna who draws power from his mental agility alone. He is always percetible and thoughtful, aware of his surroundings at all times. Krsna handles all episodes with consummate oration, be it the disrobing of Draupadi in the court or the demise of Ashwatthama in the battlefield. It is Krsna’s oration, the ‘magnetic and unspeakable’, that uplifts him to a superhuman status. The poetic richness of Mahabharata showers praise on the multi-talented Krsna, converting some of his immoral actions into strategic moves for winning the battle over the symbolic ‘evil’. Assigning a ‘divine’ status to Krsna, according to the author, has been an after thought!   

McGrath depicts the heroic life of Krsna which apparently pre-existed his divine status. This (assumption) lends objectivity to his analysis of the complex friendship and profound amity between a charioteer and his hero - sometimes referred to as ‘two krsnas’ for being partners both in fighting and in intimate camaraderie. Probably compiled during the Bronze Age, the composition of epic Mahabharata went through the hands of at least four composers. No wonder, the author observes few inconsistencies in rendering of the verses.

Spread over eight chapters, the book offers a radical peep into the heroic character of Krsna as he conducts himself as an intimate companion, as an invincible warrior and as a fine poet. Laced with intricacies, the epic offers studies in contrast of its central characters. Heroic Krsna is an absorbing study of the period that is distanced from our imagination. Despite the characters and the events of the epic Mahabharata frozen in time, the narrative help relive those glorious moments and their relevance for the present. Using Sanskrit verses, McGrath interprets the many stories and sub-stories that have formed the cultural basis of India.

Heroic Krsna is not a work of brahmanical literature but one that is pitched around academic inquiry to understand the cultural icon....Link

Heroic Krsna
by Kevin McGrath
Harvard University Press, Harvard
Extent: 278, Price: $85

The amazing world of pseudoscience …

Throughout recorded history, humans have widened their choices by focusing on things that either don’t exist or exist only in imagination. Isn't the opposite of everything more interesting? No wonder, paranormal persists, myths fascinate and pseudoscience captivates. Even if none of these were proven to be scientifically true, there are people who reserve the right to believe in them. For them, tales of mythical beasts like the Yeti, the Bigfoot and the Sea Serpent are part of their collective experience. Called cryptids, the pseudoscience of cryptozoology has been put through rigorous scientific inquiry by Daniel Loxton and Donald Prethero in their defining work on the subject: Abominable Science.     

Despite being proven false, many people continue to get attracted to the idea of imaginary creatures. And, the cryptological impulse is not new either. However, the question that begs attention is: Why do people believe in monsters and why should it matter if they do? It has been argued that such beliefs can serve a function in the human psyche, allowing people a sense of the mysterious and the magical and an escape from mundane reality. Will it not be terrible for a child, and even for an adult, to discover that Santa Claus does not exist?

No wonder, dilution of myths from collective conscience has often been resented. Not without reason because myths are at the core of most cultures, which widen instead of restricting human choice. If nothing, the mystical creatures can help search new meanings and fresh perspectives on concurrent developments. That is what producer Ben Holden intends to explore in the remake of 1957 cult classic The Abominable Snowman. In the remake, the Yeti will turn out to be an intelligent being lying low until it reclaims its habitat (mountains) from invading humankind. On the other extreme, electronic media is hungry to fill airtime with pseudo scientific stories!

This and more, Abominable Science has something for every reader. Not only is it well argued and suitably referenced, the book is informative, educational as well as entertaining. Perhaps, it is the first comprehensive study that views cryptids from diverse perspectives....Link

Abominable Science 
by Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero 
Columbia University Press, USA 
Extent: 411, Price: $29.95

The inconvenient fact of drug resistance

In 2011, a fifth of the global human population perished on account of infectious diseases. With the power of anti-microbial and anti-bacterial drugs literally coming to an end, some 9.5 million people in developing countries paid the price for the growing resistance of bugs. Given the fact that no new class of antibacterial drugs has been discovered since 1987, humanity runs the risk of death from most common infections like never before.

Dame Sally C Davies, the first woman chief medical officer for England in over 150 years, made this revelation in 'The Drugs Don't Work'."While new drugs have not been discovered, the existing formulations have been misused through overuse and false prescriptions," says Davies, "resulting in the bugs growing in resistance and fighting back with vengeance".

Already resistant bugs are killing 25,000 people a year across Europe. The same number die in road accidents. In the US, some 23,000 people die fighting infections each year, whereas in southeast Asia one child dies every five minutes.

As India is home to some deadly infections like diarrhea, pneumonia, typhoid, encephalitis and dengue, cumulative human casualty across different age groups is reportedly in excess of five million each year.
On an average, antibiotics add 20 years to our lives provided new formulations are developed before bugs become immune to existing drugs.

Shockingly, it has been more than 20 years since a new drug has been developed, trapping developing countries like India in the double whammy of unnecessary death from infections and growing antimicrobial resistance. No wonder, the country has been witness to eight new infections in recent times.Reports indicate that 30 new infections have been detected worldwide in the last three decades, accounting for 26% of annual deaths worldwide. If such is the pace with which infections are growing, why is drug development lagging behind?

Davies offers a shocking answer: "because companies can no longer make enough money out of antimicrobial drugs to justify investing in research needed". It can cost over $1 billion to develop a new medicine, meaning that drug companies are very careful about what areas to research. Currently, the return on investment is likely to be much higher for other therapeutic areas, such as cancer, arthritis, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

This is because the treatment for chronic diseases can last for months or years as opposed to relatively short courses for antimicrobial. New drugs are likely to have a shortened shelf-life, failing to recover the huge investment made in researching the new drug. The World Health Organisation has also warned that an infectious disease crisis of global proportions is threatening hard-won gains in health and life expectancy. Infectious diseases are now the world's biggest killer of children and young adults. They account for more than 13 million deaths a year - one in two deaths in developing countries.

The only way to pull out of the crises, according to Davies, is to make drug innovation financially attractive. If a $10 million Ansari X Prize can be created to stimulate research on new generation of space launch vehicle, setting up a $50 million prize for anyone discovering a new class of antimicrobial drugs can surely go a long way towards saving millions of people from the danger of emerging infections.

As Davies warns, 'if we fail to develop new drugs fast enough, people will start dying from the most commonplace of infections in the years ahead.'....Link

The Drugs Don't Work: A Global Threat
by Dame Sally C. Davies
Penguin, UK
Extent: 112. Price: £3.39

Information replaces atom as the basis of life!

In his first book Delete - The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age, Victor Mayer-Schonberger had shocked readers with the immortal power of the internet. 'Nothing ever gets deleted', he had rightfully argued. Taking the argument further he now elaborates the revolutionary power of 'big data', making information digitization the new basis of life. Since people willingly share information online, the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter are inundated with enormous data to extract new insights or create new forms of value. 

Citing numerous instances where trends and predictions out of big data analysis has been put to economic use, datafication has helped in interpreting attitudes, sentiments and even human behavior like never before. Some 400 million tweets a day certainly help usher new insights on peoples’ moods, interests and preferences.

Processed data has started to look like a new resource and it can be processed again and again to meet diverse needs. It is said that every Facebook user is worth around $100, since users are the source of information in the first place. Only if the users realize the value of their 'likes' can they collectively bargain to get paid for their voluntary contribution? Not in too distant a future, such a scenario will emerge when big data will create an 'information economy' on its own. It even exists today, but has been capitalized by those who not only posses fastest computers but have servers with incredible storage capacity as well.

Like his previous book, Victor Mayer-Schonberger has come out with yet another ground-breaking book which portrays all aspects of what the emerging big data revolution may be all about. While seizing rewards of this incredible evolution, the potential risks associated with misappropriation of data must also be appreciated. For big data to ensure privacy, need for prior consent, opting out and anonymization have to be taken as policy prescription against its misuse.

Big Data is an exhaustive narrative on the virtues and risks associated with the emerging world of datafication. Full of anecdotal stories on latest developments, Big Data is a must read book....Link

Big Data
by Viktor Mayer-Schonberger and Kenneth Cukier 
Hachette India, Delhi
Extent; 242, Price: Rs 499

Unquiet flows the Nile

Herodotus’ prophetic words will soon be proven wrong! The Greek philosopher had long described Egypt as the ‘gift of the Nile’. But with the course of the river being diverted to fill the 145 meter tall Renaissance dam being built in upstream Ethiopia, the gift will soon be snatched from a country that has yet to emerge from its unresolved uprising three years ago. Egypt for once will be losing what it has always dreamed of having control over – the Nile. 

Relations between the two countries have grown tense over the inevitable diversion of the river. While the Egyptian politicians have suggested sabotaging the dam, the Ethiopian government has vowed that nothing can stop the dam’s construction. The growing tensions are cause for global concern, beyond the six other riparian countries. Can the region which is simmering with political discontent afford a cross-border confrontation of unimaginable proportions? 

While some commentators express doubt if the region could afford a war, there are others who consider that the brewing distrust may trigger confrontation of some kind. For Egypt, allowing Ethiopia to construct this dam is somewhat like Israel allowing Iran to build a nuclear weapon. Egypt had sown the seeds decades ago, the bitter fruits of which it has been forced to harvest now!

It is a known fact that Egypt played a major role during 1960s in helping Eriteria break away from Ethiopia  Cairo was then the ground zero for the formation of the Eriterean Liberation Movement, the primary forces behind Eriteria’s long war of independence. During the 70s and the 80s, Egypt had actively supported several groups that worked to overthrow the government in Ethiopia. When Eriteria finally gained independence in 1993, it had Egypt to thank. This is one of the roots of contention between Egypt and Ethiopia.

Setting aside such troubled history and brushing past the current crises, Seifulaziz Milas argues that armed conflict over the Nile waters has always been extremely limited. Having worked with the African Union, Milas has examined the historical, political and economic aspects related to sharing of the Nile waters in the region in his recently published book ‘Sharing the Nile’ (Pluto).  Says he: ‘as in many marriages, the participants may no longer love each other, but have little choice to live together and keep the marriage working.’ 

Over the years, nations such as Kenya, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia have held the proverbial marriage together by abiding to pre-independence treaty – often to the detriment of their own people. Signed in 1929, the treaty between the UK and Egypt had prohibited riparian countries from building water infrastructure without Egypt’s consent. Since the upstream countries were never consulted, they were the first to reject the treaty upon gaining independence. 

After nearly a decade of fruitless attempts to negotiate with Egypt on equitable sharing of the Nile waters, the basin countries launched the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) in 2010 which makes it clear that no state will exercise hegemony over the Nile waters. 'Of all the riparian states’, argues Milas, ‘Egypt stands to gain most from the establishment of a basin-wide framework for water resources development’.    

An estimated 74 billion cubic meters of water stored in the cooler climate of the Blue Nile gorge, in the Renaissance Dam, will save a huge volume of evaporation loss from Lake Nasser in southern Egypt, located in one of the hottest and driest deserts of the world. Since the Aswan Dam is increasingly incapable of meeting Egypt’s power needs, partly due to reduced storage on account of evaporation  Ethiopia can fill the growing demand for hydropower in the region.

For the region in general, cooperative harnessing of the Nile waters is crucial for meeting the energy and livelihoods needs of a growing basin population - estimated to exceed 500 million by 2025, some 50 per cent higher than at present. But Egypt has thus far tried to scuttle new projects. It had successfully blocked an expected loan from the African Development Bank to Ethiopia for the Tana-Beles Project on the Beles River, a tributary of the Blue Nile, in 1988. 

Of the two channels that form the river, the Blue Nile is significant as it carries 86 per cent of the Nile’s eventual flow with the White Nile contributing the remainder. The Blue Nile, on which the 6,000 megawatt Renaissance Dam is being built, escapes Lake Tana in the Ethiopian highlands before joining the White Nile at Khartoum, in Sudan. The river nourishes 60 per cent of Egypt’s estimated 85 million people before draining into the Mediterranean Sea.

For Egypt, control over the Nile continues to be an emotive issue. ‘Who controls the Nile, controls Egypt’, so goes the old saying. Egypt is carefully weighing all options to avoid losing its control over the Nile. While it has discouraged global investors from financing the $5 billion project thus far, it holds the option of using its allies for bringing about instability in Ethiopia. Whether it triggers political reorientation in Ethiopia remains a billion dollar question?...Link 

Sharing the Nile
by Seifulaziz Milas
Pluto Press, London
Extent: 216 pages, Price $99

Where happiness is a national currency!

Land-locked mountain kingdom conjures up an irresistible image of a Shangri-la, with happiness being its gross domestic product. In every direction around the kingdom, unhappy situations prevail in its diverse manifestations - be it India or Nepal or Bangladesh or even Myanmar – and yet it has stood firm on its idea of Gross National Happiness. None of its neighbors, however, have made any effort to guarantee happiness for its people.

Buffeted between two economic giants, Bhutan has continued to measure the development of the country by how happy its people have been. Happiness clearly gives the kingdom its distinct identity. Also, it is the only country in the world where its King, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, during his thirty-four years of rule (1972-2006) made it a point to visit every single household in the country. Few modern rulers have had the pleasure of seeing the improvement in the lives of their people from such close quarters. No wonder, the monarchy is so loved by the common people in Bhutan.

Not much is known about Bhutan, though. Omair Ahmad helps draw an intimate portrait of the kingdom as it has shaped itself out from some of the most transformative events in the world history. Every bit of what he writes is readable, as much to a student of history as to an avid traveler. One learns that saints alone shaped Bhutan, its society, song and culture. And the country did not even have its own currency until 1974; taxes were collected in kind – either in goods or in labour. Much to anybody’s surprise, dried meat and ara, Bhutan’s traditional drink, were stored in the treasury. To avoid the tax thus collected from pilferage, ara was stored in the room just past the King’s chamber.

Written in non-fiction storytelling style, the narrative is not only interesting but informative too. Though the writer has strong empathy for the country yet he captures a bit of everything about the country, its history, its politics, its landscape, its people and its culture. Now that the kingdom has started taking rapid strides to move on the world stage, one wonders how its youth will negotiate the traditions with the modern....Link

The Kingdom at the Centre of the World

by Omair Ahmad                          

Aleph Books, New Delhi

Extent: 231, Price: Rs. 495

Capabilitiy should be central to growth

Our world needs more critical thinking and more robust arguments because economic growth has not only been enhancing income inequality but is keeping a large segment of the population deprived of basic education, health care and livelihood opportunities. Conventional economists have been of the view that either growth will percolate to pull poor out of poverty or redistribution of wealth will extend much-needed basic education and health care to the deprived.

Despite a growing consensus that neither of the two options has favored the poor thus far, the widespread use of economic achievements as a measure of country's progress continues to persist. How have the world’s poor been surviving on a daily basis is least of its concerns! In recent memory, the Sarkozy Commission has attempted to question the economic growth paradigm. It found that the benefits of increased wealth do not reach the poor because these are first usurped by the elites. Redistribution at best remains a good intent!

Citing the case of Vasanti, who was physically and economically abused by her alcoholic husband, Martha Nussbaum argues that only by creating and strengthening the capabilities of the poor can their dignity and self-respect be restored. With support from the Self-Employed Women's Organisation (SEWA) in Ahmedabad, Vasanti not only realized her potential but could put the same to effective use in discovering a dignified existence. Ascertaining what is a person ‘able to do and to be’ holds the key to understanding the Capability Approach, the alternate model to assess human development that Nussbaum has been working for over two decades.

Capability as a means of progress has been central to all cultures. Development (growth) as a normative concept, on the other hand, undermines capabilities and hence human dignity. For Nussbaum, it is people who matter ultimately; profits are only instrumental means to human lives. Human development must do justice for both humans and non-humans, enabling people to live full and creative lives. In an era of perpetual inequity, Nussbaum demonstrates, through narratives of individuals, that our idea of development ought to focus on the lives of the individuals and the way they actually live....Link

Creating Capabilities
by Martha C. Nussbaum
Harvard University Press, USA
Extent: 237, $22.95

Two hydrogen and one oxygen don’t make water!

True to its name, New Society Publishers are surely into the business of spreading 'good'. Else, it won’t have been as eager in getting ‘Small Stories, Big Changes' across to this reviewer. Fourteen ordinary folks narrate their unique 'inner' journeys that inspired and empowered them to pioneer extraordinary ideas of change towards creation of a better world. Lyle Estill's conviction that 'evolution has its own logic that favors the agile, the adaptable, and smart over the complacent, powerful and stupid' has guided him to pick ordinary folks of extraordinary imagination, whose stories of small possibilities are big on hope.

The stories clearly demonstrate that 'it is possible to do well while doing good'. One only needs a liberal dose of inspiration and a sense of clear direction. Award winning author Nicola Ross opines: inspiration comes through challenge. A big proponent of sabbaticals, Ross argues that 'inspiration only happens when you get out of your comfort zone and plunk yourself down into unknown territory'. Green developer Tim Tobe, organic innovator Eric Henry and watershed warrior Elaine Chiosso have had their share of challenges before coming out good with their innovations. Each of the stories of grass-root change propounds that while we may not control the forces changing our lives, we can indeed influence those forces.

The message that comes clearly from these heart-warming stories is that if you are in the field of sustainability, you ought to have patience. Else, mixing two parts of hydrogen with one part of oxygen could have created water on demand, anytime anywhere. But 'there is a third thing that makes it water', said imaginative novelist D H Lawrence, 'and no one knows what it is.' In each of the stories there is that 'third thing' that has been left to the readers' imagination.

Each story has an interesting, somewhat anecdotal, introduction followed by the story in the words of its author. More than creating smart influences, the stories packed in the volume offer an exercise in defining the problems in the first place. It goes to the credit of Lyle Estill in letting the reader know that the cause of all problems is solutions and yet we need solutions!....Link 

Small Stories, Big Changes
by Lyle Estill 
New Society Publishers, Canada
Extent: 200, Price: $17.95

It is time to move over!

Some 40 per cent of the world's population survives on less than $2 a day and yet mankind's ecological footprint is 50 per cent larger than global ecosystems can accommodate. Clearly, few have 'more' whereas a sizable number continues to scrape just 'enough' for survival. 

The focus of Enough is Enough is not as much on iniquitous progress as on the idea of steady-state economy for ensuring that everyone has 'enough'. While defining 'enough' could be context specific, authors Rob Dietz and Dan O'Neill instead detail out where all we have had 'enough' - from population expansion to waste production; from growing inequity to mounting debt; and from expanding unemployment to collapsing economies. Far from being pessimists, the authors find it hard to avoid feeling worried about the future we face.

Enough is Enough is a book of hope! It diagnoses facets of 'enough' in its varied manifestations before issuing 'prescriptions'. Unless indicators such as the ecological footprints, income inequality and happy life years do not replace 'gross domestic product' as a measure of progress, the world will eventually become an ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail. The illusion of economic growth, measured as GDP, can never pull the poor out of poverty because it takes a minimum of $166 increase in global production & consumption for raising an extra $1 for the poor. At such a rate, there can never be 'enough' for everyone!

Instead, the world needs a shift from its current obsession 'make consumption our way of life', and replace 'disposable' with 'durable'. Only then a shared prosperity could be achieved. The book explores specific strategies for each of the challenges the consumptive society faces. After laying down near-perfect diagnosis of the problem, the authors specifically examine 'what could we do instead' followed by 'where do we go from here'. Each of its prescriptions is evidence-based and pragmatic. These are as real as actionable!

Rob Dietz and Dan O'Neill argue for a 'beyond growth' debate because we have waited enough for an economy whose goal has consistently been 'more'....Link

Enough is Enough 
by Rob Dietz and Dan O'Neill 
Routledge/ Earthscan, UK 
Extent: 240, Price: US$ 12.71