The Gnat Is Older than Man: Global Environment and Human Agenda - Softcover

"A sweeping critique-its proposals cool, smart, and imaginative-with enough common sense to give the most die-hard environmentalist pause."--Kirkus Reviews

"It would be difficult to find a more balanced appraisal of our global environment dilemma than Christopher Stone provides in The Gnat Is Older Than Man. His first chapter alone is a welcome ray of light into the murky waters of doomsday prediction amidst scientific uncertainty."--Virginia Quarterly Review

"It is to Stone's credit that he elucidates his themes with a clarity and modesty that maintains academic rigor even as it opens his subject to a wide range of readers. Highly recommended for public, academic, and professional collections."--Choice

"[Stone] debunks much of the environmental hype that is designed to scare the public into action but also points out that hard evidence leaves plenty of cause for concern in some areas. The real contribution of the book is to examine the philosophical underpinnings of growing concern with the environment, address sympathetically the weaknesses in what could be called the environmentalist creed, and attempt to provide remedies for those weaknesses. It is a levelheaded, thoughtful, and informative essay."--Richard Cooper, Foreign Affairs

Why are globe-spanning environmental problems on the rise and what can be done about them? Christopher Stone presents a concise and balanced overview of the risks, from climate change and ozone depletion to deforestation and biodiversity loss. Exploring the institutional framework, Stone shows why global problems do not always benefit from "global solutions," how environmental diplomacy has to account for the growing tensions between rich and poor nations, and why even checking population growth would not heal the planet. Stone's latest work, at once theoretical and realistic, is a major contribution to our understanding of one of humanity's greatest challenges.