Book of the Month |
Link of the Month |
|---|---|
Breakthrough Web Site and the accompanying Breakthrough Blog. |
Book of the Month Review
We don't agree with the Breakthrough guys about global warming and we think their thesis is flawed because they use Maslow's hierarchy to explain things when Spiral Dynamics Integral would be a much more powerful and accurate tool. So why do we love these guys and recommend their book?
Because Michael Nordhaus and Ted Shellenberger have embraced next level thinking:
- They have broken out of the traditional 'left vs. right' trap in a book that honors both environmentalism and economic growth in a new, next level, way of thinking about the world.
- Even though we disagree with them about Global Warming, their analysis is well reasoned and consistent and thus far superior to the typical 'green' diatribes on the subject. Whether you believe in global warming or not, their analysis of the deep flaws of the Kyoto approach is highly recommended reading.
- They embrace complexity and systems thinking. The book includes a very insightful piece on asthma in Harlem showing how the dialogs of the past, based on racism and victim thinking, were successfully bypassed for a more complex understanding of both the problem and the solutions. A California aside: this part of the book stands in stark contrast to the over simplified demagogics of the current diesel fume complaints being lodged against the ports of Long Beach and Oakland.
Whether you agree or disagree with their individual points, the Breakthrough guys provide a tremendously valuable new perspectives to environmentalism in general and to the global warming debate in particular. I highly recommend their book.
Link of the Month Review
The Breakthrough blog focuses on Global Warming.
They spend some time debating skeptics like me. Notably they do this without the vitriol towards skeptics that comes even from Main Stream Media, which is another reason to like them. Interestingly enough though, they spend more time debating stereotypical Green global warming zealots who do not appreciate different thinking from environmentalists like Michael and Ted much more than they appreciate arguments from people like me.
As with the book, the Breakthrough Blog is a good read for its devotion to new perspectives and solutions based on well reasoned thinking with none of the jihadi-esque screaming so common on both sides of the debate. People on all sides of the Global Warming discussion can benefit from their efforts to take that discussion to the next level.