The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability | 
 enlarge | Author: James Gustave Speth
Publisher: Yale University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $28.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 8554
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0300136110
Dewey Decimal Number: 333.7
EAN: 9780300136111
ASIN: 0300136110
Publication Date: March 28, 2008
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Product Description
How serious are the threats to our environment? Here is one measure of the problem: if we continue to do exactly what we are doing, with no growth in the human population or the world economy, the world in the latter part of this century will be unfit to live in. Of course human activities are not holding at current levels—they are accelerating, dramatically—and so, too, is the pace of climate disruption, biotic impoverishment, and toxification. In this book Gus Speth, author of Red Sky at Morning and a widely respected environmentalist, begins with the observation that the environmental community has grown in strength and sophistication, but the environment has continued to decline, to the point that we are now at the edge of catastrophe. Speth contends that this situation is a severe indictment of the economic and political system we call modern capitalism. Our vital task is now to change the operating instructions for today’s destructive world economy before it is too late. The book is about how to do that.
Book Description
The author of Red Sky at Morning would be the first to agree that we are in deep environmental trouble, but he offers hope that there is still time to avert global catastrophe. Gus Speth explores a wide variety of promising and even radical ideas for transforming modern capitalism so as to protect and restore the natural world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Speth is better than a mere "critic". October 9, 2008
Speth provides a critique of western social, economic and political models. While explaining the very real dangers of sustaining the present trend what is even more important is his ability to convey hope and a vision of what we might be able to achieve rather than mere doom-saying and. This is an important lesson critics of all political stripes need to learn - its not enough to warn of the impending disaster, its a vision of the future and how to get there that is the stuff that political change is made of. Martin Luther King Jr. nailed this when he offered up the phrase: "I have a dream ..." Speth also has a dream and he provides a rational, workable way to achieve it.
 The view on this bridge is inspiring. September 2, 2008
The view from the Bridge at the Edge of the World is inspiring. Dean Speth offers hope if you are willing to work hard to make the world a better place for humans and all other life. He challenges the cultural values that lead us to avarice and greed and insists that we can do better, we can do much better. We can rise up to become proper stewards of the Earth.
As a four decade environmentalist he is disappointed with the limited successes of the environmental movement. The movement has not even held its ground though it has won a few hard-fought battles. Dean Speth is a lawyer and educator who is dedicated to keeping humans from fouling the planet so that it is no longer viable to life as we know it. His foes have been greedy capitalists and corrupt politicians. He raises an important question about America, are we more in love with democracy or more in love with capitalism. The United States Constitution honors democratic rule but does not place the capitalist dogma above democracy.
I agree with Dean Speth that this is a tough battle facing those who desire to change our values so we again love democracy as much as we did during the Revolutionary War. Speth suggests that those who cannot see the view from his imaginary bridge are unable to see the best future available for humanity. Those who cannot see this view are destined to continue along the path that is now destroying the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil that grows our food. Those without the vision to see from this bridge are taking us down a dangerous path that spells catatrophic results.
Purchase this book. Study the extensive footnotes. Give a copy to a friend who also loves democracy more than capitalism.
excellent discussion of environmental crisis and role of capitalism August 10, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Bridge at the Edge of the World, by James Gustave Speth, is begins with an excellent review of the depth and immediacy of the environmental crisis that faces humanity. The initial graphs give a clear and sobering pictorial representation of the the growing calamity. Paper use, water consumption, species extinction, ozone depletion, CO2 concentration - all of these are on the rise along with our increasing population.
Speth lays out the argument that our overuse of the finite resources of the planet is driven by our increasing population and our economic systems which reward expansion. His descriptions and explanations are solid and well-referenced.
After laying out the problems, Professor Speth reviews some potential solutions. I was intrigued to read about "Promoting the Well-Being of People and Nature" rather than a continuing along our current paradigm of promoting the interests of huge corporations.
Speth proposes changing the fundamental legal frameworks that regulate corporations, thus making them more accountable to the long-term needs of the citizenry and generations to come. This is a fairly radical idea, but the author lays out his arguments very clearly and with deep support.
Still furthering his discussion of solutions, Speth discusses "a new consciousness" that we could achieve to view each other and our planet's resources in a whole new way. This discussion could have turned into new-age drivel, but Speth manages to keep the discussion rational and he reviews several examples of movements which have succeeded - e.g. the antislavery movement of the mid-1800s in the US and the civil rights movement in the same country.
In summary, this is a dense and far-ranging book. Unlike many other current environmental books, Speth points an accusing finger at capitalism as a major contributor to our crisis. He ends, though, with a thoughtful review of some potential solutions and pathways to avoid our drift into the abyss.
 The Bridge at the Edge of the World August 5, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The ideas presented are excellent, logical, and thought provoking!!!
The book was sometimes hard for me to follow due to less than complete information. It is dull at times. The author is no Thomas Friedman.
Essential Reading for Essential Action August 5, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Bridge at the End of the World A highly readable, fact-filled, and convincing exposition of how market-profit-growth based corporate economy is destroying the eco-system on which it depends and what must and can be done to change it. There's little time before the damage is irreversible.
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