Science & Research

Jimmy's Gone Green book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

Jimmy’s Gone Green

In Jimmy’s Gone Green, a group of young boys gather to consider the plight of Jimmy, their friend, who they’ve heard has gone green. The boys are panicked, believing this to be a symptom of the flu or something worse. Jimmy soon arrives to assuage their fears, explaining that he’s […]

Food Security and Global Environmental Change book review AlternativesJournal.ca

Food Security and Global Environmental Change

Irrigation accounts for 70 per cent of the world’s fresh water use, so it has been evident for many years that food security is considered a greater issue, if less immediately critical, than drinking water. Add climate change into the mix, and what was already a difficult global problem becomes […]

The Wave book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean

The very first time I caught a wave — or, more accurately, wiped out and tumbled helplessly in a wave’s churning whitewash — I immediately understood the allure of surfing. The ocean, utterly indifferent to the presence of wetsuit-encased people bobbing about on fiberglass boards, presents only three options: sink, […]

The War in the Country book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

The War in the Country: How the Fight to Save Rural Life Will Shape Our Future

In The War in the Country, Thomas Pawlick has done a great service. He documents recent tensions and traumas that have battered every rural commun­ity across Ontario. Moreover, he reports in the voice of family farmers, small businesses, native people and back-to-the-landers. These stories are worth keeping in your library to […]

Storms of My Grandchildren book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe And Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

It’s odd. At 68, James Hansen, arguably the planet’s most renowned climatologist and one of the earliest prophets of human-induced global climate change, has finally published his first book. “Odd” is a fitting description for the book as well.

The Transition Handbook book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience

At last, here is a book about our common future that we don’t have to be afraid to read. Written by “transition movement” founder Rob Hopkins, The Transition Handbook offers an inspiring and practical blueprint for community-based action in response to the challenges of climate change and peak oil.

The Sacred Universe book review A\J AlternativesJournal.ca

The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the Twenty-First Century + The Christian Future and the Fate of the Earth

In June 2009, Thomas Berry, the historian, priest, author and self-described “geologian,” passed away at his home in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was 94. Uniting recent scientific discoveries concerning the provenance and progression­ of the universe with religious insights into the nature of creation, Berry’s writing blended empirical and spiritual elements […]