The Gnat Is Older than Man: Global Environment and Human Agenda

by Christopher D. Stone

Overview

The influential book on the environmental challenges before us and what we must do to address them

Why are globe-spanning environmental problems on the rise and what can be done about them? Christopher Stone presents a concise and balanced overview of the risks, from climate change and ozone depletion to deforestation and biodiversity loss. Exploring the institutional framework, Stone shows why global problems do not always benefit from global solutions, how environmental diplomacy must account for the growing tensions between rich and poor nations, and why even checking population growth cannot heal the planet. At once theoretical and realistic, The Gnat is Older than Man a major contribution to our understanding of one of humanity’s greatest challenges.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691258881
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	11/14/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	367
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Christopher D. Stone (1937–2021) was the J. Thomas McCarthy Trustee Chair in Law Emeritus at the University of Southern California. His books include Should Trees Have Standing? Law, Morality, and the Environment.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Ch. I Diagnosis: The Earth Has Cancer, and the Cancer Is Man

Ch. II The Condition of the Earth from the Legal Perspective

Ch. III Transboundary Pollution

Ch. IV Managing the Global Commons

Ch. V Treaties as Antidotes

Ch. VI The Economist's Prescriptions: Taxes and Tradable Permits

Ch. VII Medicating the Earth: Preventatives and Remedies

Ch. VIII Taking Out Calamity Insurance

Ch. IX Paying the Bills: Toward a Global Commons Trust Fund

Ch. X The Spiritual and Moral Dimensions of the Environmental Crisis: Of Humankind and Gnats

Notes

Index to Topics and Institutions

Index to Authors

Index to Conventions

Index to Legal Cases

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Amidst the deluge of books on the global environment, this is the one to read! Stone writes wonderfully, with a delightful style that effortlessly carries forth a powerful stream of ideas."—David D. Caron, University of California, Berkeley

"Stone has the rare ability to blend idealism and realism. Like such classics as Silent Spring and A Sand County Almanac, his book has the power to revolutionize the way we thing about protecting the global environment."—Durwood Zaelke, President, Center for International Environmental Law

"Should be read by everyone concerned with the future of our planet."—John H. Chaffee, U.S. Senator (Rhode Island)

Editorial Reviews

"[Stone] debunks much of the environmental hype that is designed to scare the public into action but also points out that hard evidence leaves plenty of cause for concern in some areas. The real contribution of the book is to examine the philosophical underpinnings of growing concern with the environment, address sympathetically the weaknesses in what could be called the environmentalist creed, and attempt to provide remedies for those weaknesses. It is a levelheaded, thoughtful, and informative essay."—-Richard Cooper, Foreign Affairs

From the Publisher

"It is to Stone's credit that he elucidates his themes with a clarity and modesty that maintains academic rigor even as it opens his subject to a wide range of readers. Highly recommended for public, academic, and professional collections."

Choice

"It would be difficult to find a more balanced appraisal of our global environment dilemma than Christopher Stone provides in The Gnat Is Older Than Man. His first chapter alone is a welcome ray of light into the murky waters of doomsday prediction amidst scientific uncertainty."

Virginia Quarterly Review