Ecoscam: The False Prophets of Ecological Apocalypse [Paperback]

Ronald Bailey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1994

"Bailey explodes shibboleths of the environmental movement in an unsettling, thought-provoking polemic certain to stir controversy."--Publishers Weekly. Bailey has covered science as a writer for Forbes and as a producer for PBS.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312109717
• ISBN-13: 978-0312109714
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,701,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Demystifies environmental platitudes -- detailed analysis., March 31, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Richland, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecoscam: The False Prophets of Ecological Apocalypse (Paperback)

Ronald Bailey personifies the environmental scientist's historian providing a detailed analysis of the motives and agendas of apocalyptic environmental "doomsters". In depth discussion of the major environmental disasters dispelling environmental myths. Classifies many environmentalists as 'true believers' taken in the Eric Hoffer derivation of the phrase. Must read for anyone trying to ascertain the salient features of today's popular environmental apocalyspe scenarios and their purveyors.

60 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intensive documentation of apocalyptic scams, June 9, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Ecoscam: The False Prophets of Ecological Apocalypse (Paperback)

(1996) This book is overflowing with heavily footnoted evidence that we are being bamboozled by a few groups of zealots out to change the political landscape, even if it means fudging the truth a little here or there. The text is sometimes hard to follow, but only because he throws so many facts at the unsupported arguments of scientists and pseudo-scientists, and especially at scientists operating outside their fields. Butterfly scientist Paul Ehrlich and his wife show up several times, first bemoaning the man-made return of the ice age, then warning us about global warming with equal gravity. Bailey not only shows the illegitimacy of the science used by these apocalyptics, but he exposes their motives as well. This book is an invaluable resource for anyone wishing to ask, "Are you sure? How do we know? Are there no other alternatives?" when confronted with the bewildering plethora of supposedly man-made disasters.

(2004) Of course, nobody is saying, "Do nothing until it's too late." Bailey's point is to wait until you're sure before you act, because acting on false assumptions and/or conclusions may be the quickest way to disaster. The perfect warning against rash action is the Premature Ice Age or Imminent Global Famine scares of the 70s - fortunately, we waited to see the data before acting on those. His other point is that many of the actors cheerleading the various doomsday scenarios are more interested in political outcomes (like nationalizing agriculture and food distribution) than in their stated outcomes (like biodiversity).

By the way:
FACT - asthma has been increasing fastest in places where pollution has been decreasing. This has perplexed the worldwide asthma research community.

FACT - Organic vapours from live trees and methane from naturally rotting vegetation both contribute to "pollution". Trees don't clean air, they convert CO2 into O2.

FACT - Because of tree farms, the paper industry need no longer be dependent on biodiverse forests, so there are more for me to camp in.

FACT - There are more plants and trees in North America today than there were 100 years ago. Proof? Look it up in the Statistical Abstract (acres of forest land), or look at the Mauna Loa CO2 data which swings more widely in each successive year due to the North American winter/summer variance.

FACT - Water vapor is THE single most important contributor to the greenhouse effect, accounting for 98% of it. Thankfully, Richard Lindzen has been able to point that out despite the chorus of government-research-grant-hungry scientists who can't afford to publish neutral or good news for fearing of not getting any more grants.

FACT - Wealth is the single most important determinant of whether a country can survive natural disasters. Within a week of each other, California and Iran each experienced similar sized earthquakes (6.5 and 6.6), but while hardly any property or lives were lost in the much more densely populated California, Iran experienced devastating loss of both life and property.

Yet, despite that last fact, the world's eco-apocalyptics would drive our living standards, technology, and wealth back to levels unseen since the Pleistocene in order avoid various chimeras. The ironic thing is that it is they who are fighting for the status quo, irrationally fearing that we may have to build a sea wall (Holland has been doing this for a while), switch to nuclear power (France gets something on the order of 60% of its power that way), or develop new technologies (horrors!).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exposes the false teachings of ecological doom., December 24, 2008

By 

WHC (Marshall Islands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecoscam: The False Prophets of Ecological Apocalypse (Paperback)

This book exposes the flaws and failures of Malthusian ideology. It also exposes the false teachings of ecological doom. Bailey proves that there is no population explosion, no ecology crisis, no global warming, no mineral shortage, and no energy shortage.