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A focused discussion on the existential threats of our time, and their points of intersection since World War II. Both nuclear war and environmental catastrophe have the potential for similar outcomes: a world made uninhabitable by the scarcity of water, food, and livable land.
FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description
"There are two problems for our species' survival--nuclear war and environmental catastrophe, " says Noam Chomsky in this new book on the two existential threats of our time and their points of intersection since World War II. While a nuclear strike would require action, environmental catastrophe is partially defined by willful inaction in response to human-induced climate change. Denial of the facts is only half the equation. Other contributing factors include extreme techniques for the extraction of remaining carbon deposits, the elimination of agricultural land for bio-fuel, the construction of dams, and the destruction of forests that are crucial for carbon sequestration. On the subject of current nuclear tensions, Chomsky revisits the long-established option of a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East, a proposal set in motion through a joint Egyptian Iranian General Assembly resolution in 1974. Intended as a warning, "Nuclear War and Environmental Catastrophe" is also a reminder that talking about the unspeakable can still be done with humor, with wit and indomitable spirit.
Notes
A frank discussion about the 2 single greatest threats humanity faces today.
Author Biography
NOAM CHOMSKY was born in Philadelphia in 1928. He studied at the Universityof Pennsylvania where he received his PhD in linguistics in 1955. He joined thestaff at MIT and was appointed Institute Professor in 1976, gaining internationalrenown for his contributions to the understanding of language acquisition. Hebecame famous as a radical intellectual with the publication of his book,Manufacturing Consent, in 1988. Chomsky has written and lectured widely onlinguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, internationalaffairs and US foreign policy. His views have profoundly influenced both scientificand political thought around the world. LARAY POLK was born in Durant,Oklahoma and now lives in Dallas, Texas. She is a multimedia artist and writer.Her articles and investigative reports have appeared in the Dallas Morning News,D Magazine, and In These Times. As a 2009 grant recipient from The InvestigativeFund at The Nation Institute, she produced stories on the political entanglementsand compromised science behind the establishment of a radioactive wastedisposal site in Texas, situated in close proximity to the Ogallala Aquifer.
Review
"In this brief but hard-hitting paperback, linguist and radical intellectual Noam Chomsky and writer/artist Laray Polk share their conversations between 2010 and 2012 on the precarious state of things in the world." —Spirituality and Practice
Review Quote
"In this brief but hard-hitting paperback, linguist and radical intellectual Noam Chomsky and writer/artist Laray Polk share their conversations between 2010 and 2012 on the precarious state of things in the world." -Spirituality and Practice
Excerpt from Book
Preface If humans choose to work to minimize the existential threats of our time, perhaps the most improbable aspect of remedy is that we will accept modalities based on collaboration and creative adaptation, rather than perpetual combat and domination. It is a stark fact that present and future economies are predicated on a finite energy resource: carbon-based fuels.2 Consensual science on climate change presents another fact: we may only have a few years to make adjustments in the collective carbon load before we are faced with irreversible consequences. As Christian Parenti in Tropic of Chaos perceptively and correctly points out: "[E]ven if all greenhouse gas emissions stopped immediately--that is, if the world economy collapsed today, and not a single light bulb was switched on nor a single gasoline-powered motor started ever again--there is already enough carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to cause significant warming and disruptive climate change, and with that considerably more poverty, violence, social dislocation, forced migration, and political upheaval. Thus we must find humane and just means of adaptation, or we face barbaric prospects." Seen in this light, to live collaboratively and creatively is less a radical proposal than a pragmatic one, if we, future generations, and the biosphere are to survive nuclear war and environmental catastrophe. Laray Polk Dallas, Texas September 2012 1. Environmental Catastrophe Laray Polk: When we began this conversation in 2010, our starting point was a statement you had recently made in the press: "There are two problems for our species'' survival-- nuclear war and environmental catastrophe." What is meant by "environmental catastrophe"? Noam Chomsky: Actually, quite a lot of things. The major one is anthropogenic global warming--human contribution to global warming, greenhouse gases, others--but that''s only a part of it. There are other sources of what''s called pollution--the destruction of the environment--that are quite serious: erosion, the elimination of agricultural land, and turning agricultural land into biofuel, which has had a severe effect on hunger. It''s not just an environmental problem; it''s a human problem. Building dams and cutting down the Amazon forests has ecological consequences--there are thousands of things and the problems are getting a lot worse. For one reason, because of the role of the United States. I mean, nobody''s got a wonderful role in this, but as long as the United States is dragging down the entire world, which is what it''s doing now, nothing significant is going to happen on these issues. The US has to at least be seriously taking part and should be well in the lead. It''s kind of ironic; if you look at this hemisphere, the country that is well in the lead in trying to do something serious about the environment is the poorest country in South America, Bolivia. They recently passed laws granting rights to nature.1 It comes out of the indigenous traditions, largely--the indigenous majority, they''ve got the government advocating on their behalf. Sophisticated Westerners can laugh at that, but Bolivia is going to have the last laugh. Anyway, they''re doing something. In the global system, they''re in the lead, along with indigenous communities in Ecuador. Then there''s the richest country--not only in the hemisphere, but in world history--the richest, most powerful country, which is not only doing nothing, but is going backward. Congress is now dismantling some of the legislation and institutions put into operation by our last liberal president, Richard Nixon, which is an indication of where we are. In addition, there''s a great enthusiasm about tapping new sources of fossil fuels and doing it in ways which are extremely environmentally destructive: water and other resources are destroyed through fracking and deep-sea drilling. Anywhere you can find anything that you can use to destroy the environment, they''re going after it with great enthusiasm. It''s like issuing a death sentence on the species. And what makes it worse is that a lot of it is being done out of principle--that it''s not problematic, that it''s what we ought to be doing. In a sense, the same is true of nuclear weapons. They''re justified on the grounds that we need them for defense--we don''t need them for defense--but the argument for moving forward toward disaster is a conscious, explicit argument that is widely believed. With regard to the environment and the United States, there is also quite a substantial propaganda campaign, funded by the major business organizations, which are quite frank about it. The US Chamber of Commerce and others are trying to convince people that it''s not our problem, or that it''s not even real. If you look at the latest Republican primary campaign, virtually every participant simply denies climate change. One candidate, Jon Huntsman, said he thinks it is real, but he was so far out of the running, it didn''t matter.5 Michele Bachmann said something to the effect, "Well, it could be real, but if it is, it''s God''s punishment for allowing gay marriage." Whatever the world thinks, they can''t do much if this is going on in the United States. In Congress, among the latest cohort of Republican House representatives from 2010, almost all are global-warming deniers and are acting to cut back legislation to block anything meaningful, and to roll back the little that exists. I mean, it''s surreal. If someone were watching this from Mars, they wouldn''t believe what was happening on Earth. Hugo Ch
Description for Sales People
One of the world's pre-eminent intellectuals returns with a frank discussion about the greatest threats to humanity. This is Chomsky's first book dedicated to the topic of nuclear technology. Forms part of Seven Stories' new Open Mic series, featuring forthright conversations with leading public intellectuals.
Details ISBN1609804546 Author Noam Chomsky Short Title NUCLEAR WAR & ENVIRONMENTAL CA Language English ISBN-10 1609804546 ISBN-13 9781609804541 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2013 Imprint Seven Stories Press,U.S. Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States DEWEY 363.70561 AU Release Date 2013-04-30 NZ Release Date 2013-04-30 US Release Date 2013-04-30 UK Release Date 2013-04-30 Pages 176 Publisher Seven Stories Press,U.S. Publication Date 2013-04-30 Audience General We've got this
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