Customer Reviews

Facts, Not Fear: Teaching Children About The Environment

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I found a copy of this book in a used bookshop located in the main branch of the Memphis library. It was on a shelf with nonfiction books about childhood education. I moved it to the "Christian Fiction" shelf. (My apologies to C.S. Lewis for staining the dignity of his works by doing this.)
There is plenty of room in environmental studies for criticism, for close examination of the data, and for factoring in economic sustainability (being careful not to impose too many "Whole Foods values" on a "Kroger/Safeway economy."
But this book has nothing to do with science-based criticism or sustainability. It's straight out of the bowels of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

This book is the most accessible of the free-market environmentalist works.

It is sad that many people will write it off out of closed-mindedness and intellectual intolerance. That we ought to consider the costs as well as the benefits of slowing economic growth to benefit the environment, or that some well-intentioned environmental policies have disastrous unintended consequences -- these and other ideas in the book cut against the dogma accepted by the popular press and the education establishment.

Contrary to what some of the other reviews tell us, the logic and scientific authority in this book is impeccable, and the benefits of sound environmental policy do not go unremarked. (If you want poor logic and duplicitous omission of facts, go to Zero Population Growth -- I had the pleasure of attending one of their high-school workshops, and it was frightening indeed.)

Highly recommended. If you want your child to receive a more balanced view of enviromental iss! ues than he or she may be getting in school, or if you want a quick survey of those issues for yourself, look no further.

"Don't worry be happy" might suffice as an attitude to get you through the day, but it is hardly a smart ideology with which to think about our environmental concerns. This book is trash. It is part of the right wing propaganda machine that denies fundamental, well-established environmental science. It was an embarrassment when published; more recent science--climate science in particular--demonstrates just how crazily wrong headed it is. Don't believe a word of it, and read real science to inform yourself about environmental matters.

It's about time. This book is a must have for anyone who is not afraid to buck the common fokelore on the environment and face facts. Despite what some of the other reviews have said, this is NOT a sugar coated, "everything is really ok" kind of book. I was impressed by the balanced, realistic view the authors took on the issues. Just as an example, they don't deny that the earth's temperature has increased, but they cite research that shows that it has only been an average 1-3 degrees increase *in the last 100 years,* which is insignificant. And that most of that increase was in the first half of the century. And that it is cyclical (you may remember that in the 70's, for example, they were predicting the next ice age). There are hundreds of little - well researched - nuggets like that that put some reality over the hype and hysteria of the environmental extremists.

If you're looking for a balanced approached to the environment, and you're not afraid of perhaps challenging some of your own beliefs, this book is a must read.

I am not a parent, but even I found this book to be a nice reference and an enjoyable read. It is rare and refreshing to find a book that treats environmentalism from a rational perspective.
Naturally, environmentalists are quick to attack it, as they should--such applications of reason and sound judgement threaten their agenda.
The information is thoroughly cited: you won't find the vague references to mystery "sources" prevalent in environmentalist books.

As a parent who is also a teacher of high school Environmental Science, I found this book very informative and solid. The textbooks I am required to use in teaching environmental issues are unfortunately very biased and one-sided. I cannot in good conscience teach children that their world is doomed, and this book presents a balanced look at problems and presents possible solutions where needed. The graphs are extremely telling and useful. While much so-called environmental "science" is really pushing a socialist political agenda, this book presents statistics and facts in a way that is accessible to all. It is a useful resource for both parents and teachers of all ages of children.

What passes for ecological education today is really indoctrination. You can mold and shape innocent little minds by getting them to hate, abhor, and accede to popular delusions. True education is difficult. Science and economics give students the tools to think for themselves, but many teachers and parents are not inclined or equipped to take the extra steps necessary for rational analysis of ecological problems. Instead they have created a religion through affective programming so that anything "green" is good, and the production and consumption of goods and services is bad. Lamentably, we have an influential minority of self-anointed environmentalists who serve as priests who must be appeased at any cost. And we all bear the consequences of ill-conceived laws and regulations that cannot stand scrutiny, but which reduce our standard of living and our liberty. You can observe the results of ecological indoctrination by viewing the reviews of the intolerant, outraged "true believers" who eschew Facts, Not Fear: Teaching Children About the Environment.

An exceptionally helpful book for parents who want to help their children deal rationally with the rain-forests of enviro-propaganda. With logic, facts, and science, this book takes on the many frightening myths and exaggerations to which school children currently are routinely exposed. Yet, at the same time, it is far from an apology for environmental destruction, as it teaches responsibility and respect for the planet.

Are we really going to run out of oxygen due to deforestation? Is overpopulation really the crisis that the schools say it is? Will billions starve? Are millions going to die from skin cancer due to ozone depletion? Are we really running out of trees and other resources? Are we "deforesting the U.S. at the fastest pace in our history" as the Sierra Club claims? Is the planet overheating? Is there really no more room for landfills? These questions require facts, not fear, and the authors deliver the former while discussing reasonable solutions to real environmental problems.

Most chapters of the book have been reviewed for technical content by two or more scholars in relevant areas, whose names and affiliations are given. For example, Chapter 17, "Don't Eat That Apple!" (dealing with the overblown fears of chemicals in foods) was reviewed by Dr. Gordon Gribble, Professor of Chemistry at Dartmouth University; by Dr. Joseph D. Rosen, Professor of Food Chemistry at Rutgers University; and Dr. Steven Safe, Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology at Texas A&M University. Chapter 18, "A Garbage Crisis?" was reviewed by Dr. M.B. Hocking, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Victoria; by William Rathje, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona and Director of the internationally recognized Garbage Project; and by Dr. Clark Wiseman, Professor of Economics at Gonzaga University.

Parents will learn what school textbooks are saying about the environment, and will find helpful information and documentation to balance what is incorrect or exaggerated. Parents will also find helpful discussion topics and recommended exercises and activities to help their children better understand these important topics in real contexts:

For example: "When your children raise concerns about the air pollution created by cars, ask them if they would rather live in a world with 'clean, nonpolluting' horses instead of polluting cars... "Sit down with your children and add to their list of household chores feeding the horse twice a day and cleaning the stall or corral. (Few children realize that horses create forty pounds of manure per day and that this 'pollution' must be disposed of.) Or, take your children to visit a local stable. Have the owner or manager show your children the stalls and what it means to 'muck out a stall.' Ask the owner to tell your children how much waste is produced by the horses and how the people who work at the stable get rid of it. Then ask your children to imagine every car on your block replaced by a horse. What would the street be like? How would it smell?"

The authors have provided a very useful resource for the responsible modern parent.

I wish I could rate this book even lower. I am an environmental educator, and I would NEVER use this book as a source of information. Most educators do not teach fear, but teach that we are part of the community and we teach children to think for themselves. Review the work of David W. Orr, David Sobel, Richard Louv, and Zenobia Barlow if you would a good source on how to teach children the wonders of the environment.

This book is not based on any facts. Sanera has no background in environmental science, he is trained in political science. Often the examples that he uses are taken out of context and he does not follow up on the source of information. He uses the example of a small child who wrote to the President, "Mr. President if you ignore this letter we will all die of pollution and the ozone layer" as how schools ignore facts when it comes to environmental education. If he had done his research he would have learned that this girl learned this, not from school, but from watching "Highway to Heaven."

He also spouts off disturbing facts such as "the earth's carrying capacity is enormous", and the increased CO2 in the air "causes more luxuriant growth, larger flowers, and greater crop yields." Obviously none of this is true. Most of the time, when asked, Sanera is unable to tell where he got some of the examples he uses to support his "facts."

If you do buy this book, use it for a good laugh at an environmentally illiterate man's expense. Do not use this a guide to teaching children or as a source of environmental facts.

Facts Not Fear is an excellent book for both parents and educators alike. It is very refreshing to see the authors use scientific facts to explain and explore environmental issues, instead of "gloom and doom"scare tactics which are so prevalent in or childrens texts. Facts Not Fear is essential reading for virtually everyone, because it offers a balanced perspective on a variety of environmental subjects, from natural resoures to global warming. READ THIS BOOK TODAY!