Customer Reviews

How Much Is Enough?: The Consumer Society and the Future of the Earth (The Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series)

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Has it ever occurred to you that Americans go to shopping malls more often than they attend church or synagogue? Did you know that, directly or indirectly, we consume our own weight in basic resources EVERY DAY? Half a billion people--those who belong to the consumer society--use up almost all of the world's resources and create most of the pollution. This is one of those books that leaves a lasting impression upon the way you perceive the society you live in. This book is not only a smooth read, but is PACKED with carefully researched information in a most wonderful way. Durning backs up all his statements with solid facts. What else would you expect from a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute? And aside from the conscientious fact-checking, Durning has another Worldwatch habit: he not only presents complex problems in understandable ways, but also presents multi-pronged, workable solutions. Overall, a concise book chock full of careful thinking.

I read the book. I agreed with all the points. I was properly impressed with his statistics and anecdotes. But overall I felt something was missing, although I can't put my finger on it. After reading this book, rather than feeling charged up to go and do something about it I felt rather ho-hum instead. I don't think the book is polemical enough. It doesn't offer clear cut guides on what needs to change. The threat is always vague, "We can't keep this up or someday we'll run out." His discussion of the necessity of growth left me unconvinced, even though I desperately wanted to be convinced. The book is an interesting read, but it was just lacking something that kept it from being amazing.