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| A Contract with the Earth | 
| Authors: Newt Gingrich, Terry L. Maple
Creator: Edward O. Wilson
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy Used: $0.85
You Save: $19.15 (96%)
New (50) from $5.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 98105
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0801887801
Dewey Decimal Number: 333.720973
EAN: 9780801887802
ASIN: 0801887801
Publication Date: October 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Contract with the Earth-a refreshing review of the facts February 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Gingrich and Maple have created a well thought out bipartisan plan to "save the earth" from exploitation by people who, knowingly or unknowingly are in the process of destroying the environment. Historically Dr. Terry Maple dragged Zoo Atlanta from the abyss and created one of the finest exhibits in the world. Dr. Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House and college professor has a vivid imagination for change (real change) and shows his adroit imagination in this work. These men offer many solutions from problems with animal waste to saving plants and animals for future generations to enjoy. I read the book and also listened to an audiobook version. Both are very enjoyable-I urge people of all ages to enjoy this very timely work. Douglas W. Matheson Professor Emeritus University of the Pacific. Stockton, CA
 The Devil is in the Details January 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really like Newt.
I think Newt Gingrich is one of the most important political philosophers of our time. From the Conservative Opportunity Society to the Contract for America, he's been on the cutting edge. My complaint with this book is that while his heart is in the right place, the book is short on details, and the devil is always in the details.
Global warming/climate change is a real threat. It's caused by human activity. I've run the numbers, and it can't be significantly slowed, and certainly can't be reversed, without nuclear energy. That having been said, the word "nuclear" only appears in the book once.
Without nuclear energy, and because nuclear probably can't be brought on line soon enough to make a real difference, drastic changes in the American way of life will be necessary to slow down the process of global warming---smaller houses, fewer trips by airplanes, higher thermostats in the summer, lower in the winter. However, Newt and Terry never address these topics.
The placebos, compact florescent lights bulbs, bio-fuels, and others, which make us feel like we are contributing, but which actually deter us from taking effective action, are as close as we get to details.
I left the book feeling empty. Like Rodney King, Newt and Terry tell us "can't we all just get along" but don't give any real guidance about where we are going.
I'm a little disappointed. I still love Newt, but this isn't my favorite Next book.
The Devil is in the Details, and the details have been left out.
Review of Contract with the Earth January 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I just read and reread this book. I'm so tired of the gloom and doom meisters, I'm really happy to have found something that is POSITIVE, and explains exactly how to achieve Sustainability. There is much to do in this realm, but they have many examples of what is being done, and other examples of what each of us can do if we want to get involved.
The only thing I would have done better would be to have the examples better documented, so the direct sources of the information could be accessed more easily.
Positive, Optimistic, No Gloom and Doom! December 28, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Great read with a positive, logical approach and proposed solutions to environmental issues. Perhaps slanted somewhat toward the conservative political view; But not to the point of making the issue partisan.
Environmentalism: The Devil Is in the Details December 18, 2007
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
In "A Contract with the Earth," Newt Gingrich and Terry Maple correctly plead for a bipartisan approach to environmentalism. Gingrich and Maple also rightly emphasize the importance of objectivity, education, green entrepreneurship, partnership of government at all levels with organizations and businesses, the need for a long-term vision, and U.S. world leadership in tackling environmental ills. Unfortunately, "A Contract with the Earth" is ultimately of uneven quality.
To their credit, Gingrich and Maple convincingly show what green entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships can achieve in reducing the human footprint on nature in some particular cases. Chapters 5 and 6 will be of particular interest to readers looking for some success stories such as Costa Rica, Walt Disney, Shell Oil, and Geoplasma. Gingrich and Maple also review with clarity in chapter 7 what some philanthropists such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Richard Branson's Virgin Fuels are working on to address some environmental ills. Furthermore, Gingrich and Maple remind readers that open societies are more receptive to environmental and social reform. Finally, Gingrich and Maple call in chapter 9 for political leaders of substance who exhibit some of the characteristics that Jim Collins has identified in his best-seller "Good to Great."
Unfortunately, Gingrich and Maple seem at times to over-simplify the challenges at hand. Here follow a few examples for illustration purposes only:
1. Gingrich and Maple note that in some respects, the population problem (in the third world) is solving itself, with birth rates falling as nations develop healthy economies with stable, predictable futures. Both authors also point out that the U.S. can handle overpopulation most effectively by targeting foreign aides for emerging democracies with a stable rule of law and growing economies. Unfortunately, Gingrich and Maple fail to mention that U.S. support for family planning abroad began to decline in 1996. The U.S. is not alone in this area. As Jonathon Porritt, Chair, U.K. Sustainable Development Commission, rightly states in BBC-sponsored Planet Earth, good family planning is all about empowering women and girls with literacy and better healthcare to bring birth rates down. Furthermore, both authors omit to mention that the current U.S. administration has banned funding to groups that provides or promotes abortion. Unlike the other regions of the world, Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, is experiencing fast and ultimately unsustainable population growth as John May of the World Bank and Jean-Pierre Guengant of IRD (French Research Institute for Development) recently observed.
2. Gingrich and Maple lament that the American Government, both Congress and the President, is not doing enough in addressing environmental challenges. However, many Americans are wary of pushing the American Government too far, too fast, because of the high costs involved in solving environmental problems. The new, imperfect compromise over CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards illustrates this point very well.
3. Gingrich and Maple also plead for a plan to significantly and rapidly reduce U.S. dependence on (foreign) oil by considering a serious switch from fossils fuels to renewable alternatives. Since 1974, all U.S. presidents have called for energy independence, but all have failed in this endeavor. Despite the rhetoric, U.S. reliance on foreign oil increased from 36.1% in 1974 to 65.5% in 2006 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Americans use more oil per person than any other country in the world, with the possible exception of some oil-exporting states. 2/3 of all oil consumed in the U.S. is used for powering U.S. cars and trucks according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The new changes to CAFE standards will probably not significantly alter this picture, especially when one considers the existing vehicle mix and the expected increase in the number of cars and trucks on U.S. roads in the coming decades. In addition, the recent increase in renewable alternatives like ethanol is not without side effects. Think for example about the recent inflation in food prices.
To summarize, Gingrich and Maple offer some interesting ideas in "A Contract with the Earth" to tackle environmental ills. Unfortunately, their book reads at times like an over-simplification of the environmental issues that need to be addressed to find some balance between humanity and its environment.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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