Green Intelligence: Creating Environments That Protect Human Health - Hardcover

Wargo, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300110375 ISBN 13: 9780300110371

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2009

Synopsis

We live in a world awash in manmade chemicals, from the pesticides on our front lawns to the diesel exhaust in the air we breathe. Although experts are beginning to understand the potential dangers of these substances, there are still more than 80,000 synthetic compounds that have not been sufficiently tested to interpret their effects on human health. Yale University professor John Wargo has spent much of his career researching the impact of chemical exposures on women and children. In this book, he explains the origins of society’s profound misunderstanding of everyday chemical hazards and offers a practical path toward developing greater “green intelligence.”

Despite the rising trend in environmental awareness, information about synthetic substances is often unavailable, distorted, kept secret, or presented in a way that prevents citizens from acting to reduce threats to their health and the environment. By examining the histories of five hazardous technologies and practices, Wargo finds remarkable patterns in the delayed discovery of dangers and explains the governments’ failures to manage them effectively. Sobering yet eminently readable, Wargo’s book ultimately offers a clear vision for a safer future through prevention, transparency, and awareness.

About this title

About the Author

John Wargo is professor of environmental policy, risk analysis, and political science at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Department of Political Science at Yale University. The author of Our Children’s Toxic Legacy, he has been an adviser to Vice President Al Gore, the U.S. Congress, the U.N. World Health Organization, and other institutions.

Review

“Green Intelligence is by far the most informed, cogent, and readable of the books on the environment that I have encountered. His argument is clear and compelling, his approach is unusual and insightful, and his science is sound.”—Herbert Needleman, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

(Herbert Needleman)

"A great book on one of the most neglected aspects of the human predicament—the toxification of our planet. Green Intelligence tells the tale through a series of case histories full of personal interest, making it an engrossing read as well as a dependable source of information. And it ends with a bonus—sound advice on how to reduce your own exposure to toxics."—Paul R. Ehrlich, co-author of The Dominant Animal (Paul R. Ehrlich)

“From nuclear war to farm chemicals to the diesel fumes inside the big yellow school bus, Green Intelligence covers it all, offering us a comprehensive anatomy and a clear-sighted vision for rescue. Bravo!"–Sandra Steingraber, author of Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment (Sandra Steingraber)

“A sobering assessment of the impacts that the late twentieth century’s chemical revolution has had on the global environment and human health, Green Intelligence offers a sweeping view of a vast terrain that is invisible to most Americans and that has not been previously explored.”—Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine

(Philip J. Landrigan)

“This is the book to read on the full array of chemical dangers in our environment. It is comprehensive, eloquent, deeply informed, and full of practical wisdom.”—Donald Worster, University of Kansas

(Donald Worster)

“Readers of Green Intelligence will find themselves outraged by the levels of exposure we as a society face from harmful chemicals. But this prodigious book is that rare combination which not only produces indignation by informing, but also catalyzes action and guides reform by inspiring.”—Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

 

(Frances Beinecke)

"Wargo's proposed strategy for winning the chemical war is sensible: we need to create an environmentally intelligent society. . . . His clear-eyed approach offers transparency and a solution to the frenzy of chemical misinformation in our lives."—Stephanie Wallis, The Ecologist (Stephanie Wallis The Ecologist)

Finalist of the 2009 Book of the Year Award, presented by ForeWord magazine (Book of the Year Award ForeWord Magazine 2010-01-01)

“This volume is a twenty-first century Silent Spring distilled and brought up to date with appealing prose. . . a disturbing book of revelations about the soup of manmade pollutants that permeates the entire world. . . Green Intelligence also provides a clear roadmap for the ways forward. . . Required reading for all citizens and leaders.”—Thomas E. Lovejoy, Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment

(Thomas E. Lovejoy)

undefined (Connecticut Book Award finalist Connecticut Center for the Book 2010-08-23)

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0300110375
• ISBN 13: 9780300110371
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400