YSM Issue 86.1

FEATURE
BOOK REVIEWS
The Human Quest: Prospering within Planetary Boundaries
BY IKE SWETLITZ
Rating: &&&&&
In The Human Quest: Prospering within Planetary Boundaries by scientist Johan Rockström and photographer
Mattias Klum, we learn that Earth is entering a new age: the Anthropocene, an era in which
humanity recognizes that it is a force capable of significantly changing the Earth. By acknowledging
the global interconnectivity of humans and natural systems, the authors argue that humans must
respect scientifically defined planetary boundaries in order to maintain environmental conditions in
which humans can thrive.
The book accomplishes this task with detailed anecdotes, sweeping generalizations, stunning photography,
and artistic maps and graphs. To a certain extent, these elements are effective: the photographs
are emotionally moving, the anecdotes compelling. However, it is difficult to determine the
target audience, as different elements appeal to people with different levels of background knowledge.
In addition, the author argues that we should change our practices to support a growing population. I question this — might we
not accept that our population growth will be limited by our practices? Though this view is morally objectionable, it is more feasible
than many of the sweeping changes it advocates.
Overall, The Human Quest presents a compelling case for humans to better their environmental stewardship and lays out a framework
for us to do so. However, the book is not without its flaws, as its stunning images do not quite compensate for the lack of a feasible
plan. Hopefully it will appeal to our reason and our emotions enough to force us to craft such a plan ourselves.
The End of the Line:
A Timely Wake-Up Call
The Doomsday Handbook:
50 Ways the World Could End
BY ALYSSA PICARD
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Charles Clover’s The End of the Line:
How Overfishing is Changing the World and
What We Eat takes the form of a tour
around the world, exploring the fishing
practices and realities in diverse oceans,
the problems involved and the potential
solutions. The outlook it provides is
bleak: from the collapse of cod populations
in New England’s waters to the
contamination of the North Sea, and from the shutting out of developing
countries’ fishermen by large scale European trawlers off the
coast of Africa to the threats to wild fish populations brought about
by farmed salmon, we are clearly in the midst of an overfishing crisis.
Taking such an approach to explaining overfishing could leave
the reader overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and
seemingly insurmountable nature of the problem. Yet as Clover so
clearly shows, unless large-scale changes are made in the procurement
and consumption of seafood, we are looking at a very dark future
indeed for both the world’s seas and humans’ diets. The problems,
he says, are big, but not unsolvable.
The End of the Line is readable and well-researched, and Clover’s
goal is not to depress his readers but to incite them, hopefully inspiring
action for the necessary solutions. Overfishing is a global issue
with many complex and entangled contributing factors, but Clover
does an admirable job balancing and presenting the information in
a way that serves as an effective warning to industry leaders, governments,
and the greater public.
BY JEREMY LIU
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Written in clear, concise prose,
The Doomsday Handbook by Alok Jha
describes the many doomsday scenarios
currently theorized by leading scientists.
In just under three hundred pages, Jha
comprehensively covers virtually every
possible end to the world, drawing from
the influences of Stephen Hawking and
Ronald Reagan. To provide a crystal clear idea of each doomsday
scenario, Jha elegantly fuses history and speculation, seamlessly
bringing us up to speed in each of the many relevant fields of
science. Well-researched and sourced, the book is a quick read,
perfect for a commute or an occasional read. For the data junkie,
Jha includes just enough numbers and figures to keep us on our toes
without leading us into a jungle of convoluting numbers.
Although Jha’s words are clear, his organization of the doomsday
scenarios leaves something to be desired. While the descriptions
of potential scenarios are illuminating, Jha fails to provide a sense
of comparison between each situation. For example, the extinction
of the honeybees and an invasion of extra-terrestrials clearly differ
in likelihood and their impact on humans, but the author does not
acknowledge how much the two scenarios differ. It may have been
helpful if Jha included a chart at the beginning of each section
displaying the likelihood, potential impact, and time frame of each
doomsday scenario. Overall, the Doomsday Handbook presents
an excellent overview of current doomsday scenarios but lacks in
organization and clarity.
38 Yale Scientific Magazine | January 2013 www.yalescientific.org