Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Focusing the environmental debate on the principle of common commitment, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and eminent conservationist Terry L. Maple present A Contract with the Earth. They declare a need for bipartisan environmentalism-a new era of environmental stewardship with principles that they believe most Americans will share.While acknowledging that liberals and conservatives do not see eye to eye on many issues, Gingrich and Maple argue successfully that environmental stewardship is a mainstream value that transcends partisan politics. Their thoughtful approaches to our environmental challenges are based on three main premises: environmental leadership is integral to America's role in the world, technologically savvy environmental entrepreneurs can and should be the cornerstone of environmental solutions, and cooperation and incentives must be dramatically increased to achieve workable and broadly supported environmental solutions.Gingrich and Maple believe that most people-regardless of how they categorize themselves politically-are weary of the legal and political conflicts that prevent individuals and communities from realizing the benefits of environmental conservation. The foundation of the book-a ten-point contract with the earth-promotes ingenuity over rhetoric as the way forward.
Synopsis
Focusing the environmental debate on the principle of common commitment, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and eminent conservationist Terry L. Maple declare a need for bipartisan environmentalism—-a new era of environmental stewardship with principles that they believe most Americans will share.
The Washington Post - Juliet Eilperin
"A Contract with the Earth is an earnest call to deal with worldwide environmental problems, from disappearing species to ever-expanding roadside landfills. Its central proposals include: "demand objectivity" in science, "educate and inspire" citizens to foster a greater appreciation of nature and "encourage green enterprise." This is no revolutionary manifesto. It's Gingrich as Smokey the Bear, rather than as the provocateur he used to play on the national stage."
Editorials
Juliet Eilperin
"A Contract with the Earth is an earnest call to deal with worldwide environmental problems, from disappearing species to ever-expanding roadside landfills. Its central proposals include: "demand objectivity" in science, "educate and inspire" citizens to foster a greater appreciation of nature and "encourage green enterprise." This is no revolutionary manifesto. It's Gingrich as Smokey the Bear, rather than as the provocateur he used to play on the national stage."—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Efforts to cleanse the world's air and water and to put a brake on calamitous climate change aren't exclusive to "one political philosophy," Gingrich and Maple argue in this probusiness call for proenvironment action by politicians, corporations and individual Americans. Though the title echoes Gingrich's hard-right 1994 Contract with America, this more conciliatory contract reflects the former academic's penchant for bullet-point sloganeering, with its "ten commitments" call for politicians to abandon adversarial politics and for businessmen and conservationists to form "compatible partnerships." The authors alternately brand their approach mainstream and entrepreneurial environmentalism-mainstream because it rejects alarmist projections based on what they perceive as activist science and hysterical journalism, and entrepreneurial because they reject the notion that free enterprise and a cleaner world are opposing forces. The authors' concern about the future of the Earth is certainly sincere, but their prescription for action breaks shallow ground. (Nov.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationLibrary Journal
Including a foreword by noted scientist E.O. Wilson, former U.S. Speaker of the House Gingrich (Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America) and Maple (president & CEO, Palm Beach Zoo; conservation & behavior, Georgia Inst. of Technology) call for bipartisan environmental stewardship and propose ten commitments to ensure its success. Gingrich and Maple express that climate change and the destruction of ecosystems demand attention; but they believe that market-driven, entrepreneurial environmentalism, in which the government participates as a partner offering incentives, not requiring mandates, is the appropriate response. The authors attempt to broaden their base of support by defining "mainstream environmentalists" to include even those who may not subscribe to their green conservatism. Gingrich and Maple occasionally move too quickly from one point to another, citing interesting examples of private-public partnerships, some of which warrant greater consideration. Footnotes or endnotes would have been helpful. Still, this serves as a useful reminder that the debate about environmental policy is far from over. Recommended for all libraries. [Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger's Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility, LJ8/07, also stresses market-driven solutions to climate change.-Ed.]
—Robin K. Dillow