Godless Environmentalism

Godless Environmentalism: The Failure of Environmental Protection and Our Hidden Power to Save the Planet describes a system of environmental protection that is broken beyond repair yet somehow self-perpetuating. National and international energy and treasure have been poured into our effort to save the planet. But the open secret is that the effort has failed: Environmental protection is hopelessly confused and woefully ineffective. What went wrong? And why do we continue to pursue this failed effort as if nothing had gone wrong? Godless Environmentalism discusses the pitfalls of environmental protection one-by-one, from disagreements about ethics - defining "environment" and "protection" - to scientific uncertainty, irrational risk management, and the vagaries of international law, adding up to failure. Nuclear energy, global climate change, and oil spills, are examples of the failure of environmental protection. The root of this policy failure is surprising. It goes back to an ancient conflict between two worldviews about the relationship between humankind and the divine. The currently dominant worldview posits that human beings alone can technocratically "fix" complex problems. If one technocratic "fix" fails, according to this view, then we simply need a new and better technocratic "fix." Because this worldview is dogma among most policy-makers, environmentalism generally fails to consider the spiritual element of environmental protection. God has been removed from policy debates. Godless Environmentalism advocates the opposing worldview: To restore our genuine spiritual connection to the power creating and maintaining the world and to heal our planet. In so doing, this book takes seriously Shellenberger and Nordhaus's call in Breakthrough Institute's "The Death of Environmentalism" to connect environmental protection to deep and powerful spiritual roots. About the Author: David Page is an American-Israeli lawyer who after his undergraduate years at Harvard delving into social theory studied under Barack Obama, Richard Posner, and Cass Sunstein at the University of Chicago Law School and has worked and taught for over a decade in the field of environmental law. David has also spent the past decade delving into ancient theological writings in the Holy City of Jerusalem, where he has studied ancient interpretations of the biblical Five Books of Moses, the Babylonian Talmud, and ancient (and also modern) philosophical writings. He thus acquired an unusual ability to synthesize both contemporary law and policy issues and ancient theological discussions. David's unique background allows him to situate environmental protection in its spiritual and philosophical context. The results of his synthesis between modern policy and ancient wisdom will surprise anyone with an open mind and an ability to perceive the spiritual foundations of the planet.