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Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist Paperback – Illustrated, November 22, 2010

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 741 ratings

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Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist is Dr. Patrick Moore's engaging firsthand account of his many years spent as the ultimate Greenpeace insider, a co-founder and leader in the organization's top committee. Moore explains why, 15 years after co-founding it, he left Greenpeace to establish a more sensible, science-based approach to environmentalism. From energy independence to climate change, genetic engineering to aquaculture, Moore sheds new light on some of the most controversial subjects in the news today.

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beatty Street Publishing, Inc.; Illustrated edition (November 22, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0986480827
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0986480829
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.91 x 9.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 741 ratings

About the author

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Dr. Patrick Moore
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Patrick Moore, Ph.D.

Dr. Patrick Moore has been a leader in the international environmental field for more than 40 years. He is a co-founder of Greenpeace and served for nine years as President of Greenpeace Canada and seven years as a Director of Greenpeace International. As the leader of many campaigns, Dr. Moore was a driving force shaping policy and direction while Greenpeace became the world’s largest environmental activist organization.

In recent years, Dr. Moore has been focused on the promotion of sustainability and consensus building among competing concerns. He was a member of British Columbia government-appointed Round Table on the Environment and Economy from 1990 – 1994. In 1990, Dr. Moore founded and chaired the BC Carbon Project, a group that worked to develop a common understanding of climate change.

Dr. Moore served for four years as Vice President, Environment for Waterfurnace International, a manufacturer of geothermal heat pumps for residential heating and cooling with renewable earth energy. He is a Director of NextEnergy Solutions, the largest distributor of geothermal systems in Canada.

As Chair of the Sustainable Forestry Committee of the Forest Alliance of BC from 1991 – 2002, he led the process of developing the “Principles of Sustainable Forestry” which were adopted by a majority of the industry.

In 2000, Dr. Moore published Trees are the Answer, a photo-book that provides a new insight into how forests work and how they can play a powerful role in solving many of our current environmental problems.

Dr. Moore serves as Chair and Chief Scientist of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd., a consultancy focusing on environmental policy and communications in forestry, agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, mining, biodiversity, chemicals, energy and climate change.

From 2006-2012 he served as co-Chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, a US-based advocacy mission to build public support for more nuclear energy plants to provide electricity.

In 2013 Dr. Moore, with his brother Michael and other family members, founded the Allow Golden Rice Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to seeing Golden Rice approved for commercial agriculture. 250 million children, mainly in the tropical countries, are deficient in vitamin A and as a result uo to 2 million die each year. The Allow Golden Rice Now! Campaign demands that Greenpeace and their allies discontinue their campaign of opposition to Golden Rice, which could eliminate vitamin A deficiency if cultivated and consumed. In 2019 the Philippines announced it had approved Golden Rice for cultivation.

In 2014 Dr. Moore was appointed Chair of Ecology, Energy, and Prosperity at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

In 2015 Dr. Moore joined the founding meeting of the CO2 Coalition in Washington DC, chaired by William Happer, and was appointed a founding director of the organization with the aim of educating on the benefits of carbon dioxide for life on Earth. In April 2019, Dr. Moore was elected Chairman of the Board of the CO2 Coalition, and now serves as a director.

In 2021 Dr. Moore published "Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom" exposing the fake news and fake science around 11 claims of disaster including climate change, coral reefs, polar bears, plastic, nuclear energy, and more.

Dr. Moore is an independent ecologist/environmentalist with Ecosense Environmental Inc.

“Speaking Truth to Power Award”, 9th Annual Climate Change Conference, 2014

National Award for Nuclear Science and History, (Einstein Society) Albequerque, New Mexico, 2009

Honorary Doctorate of Science, North Carolina State University, 2005

Ph.D. in Ecology, Institute of Resource Ecology, University of British Columbia, 1974

Ford Foundation Fellowship, 1969-1972

Honours B.Sc. in Biology and Forest Biology, University of British Columbia

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
741 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book very informative, laced with science and facts. They also say it's a great read, well-written, and thought-provoking. Readers appreciate the interesting retelling of the author's life story.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

41 customers mention "Information quality"41 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative, laced with science and facts. They appreciate the good, solid explanations for the author's opinions and views. Readers also say the book provides valuable and scientifically based critique on the validity of the catastrophic claims. Additionally, they mention it provides logical, factual arguments for the approaches.

"...It also gives insights into how politics and individual agendas have shaped the modern Greenpeace movement. This reads more as a personal memoir...." Read more

"...Etc. It is a fairly long book, but contains a huge list of footnotes referencing his sources (many accessible by websites)...." Read more

"...In it, he provides logical, factual arguments for the approaches he supports without the stridency that is typical of the usual activists today...." Read more

"...Very informative with tons of references to back up the considerable amount of data that the author presents...." Read more

35 customers mention "Readability"35 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great read. They say it's well-written, integrates biography, philosophy, and policy. Readers also mention it's enjoyable, educational, and thought-provoking.

"...This reads more as a personal memoir...." Read more

"An excellent and informative book...." Read more

"...Overall a good and interesting read. I'm recommending it to everyone who lives on planet earth...." Read more

"This is a very enjoyable and educational read...." Read more

6 customers mention "Thought provoking"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very interesting and thought-provoking. They appreciate the retelling of the life story.

"...not disappointed. Firstly, I appreciated the very interesting retelling of his life story...." Read more

"...so to be told the story from their point of view, i'm finding very interesting...." Read more

"Moore provides a very interesting inside account of the origins of Greenpeace and it's early successes and then clearly describes how the..." Read more

"Very interesting and thought provoking..." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book very good. They also appreciate the honesty of the author.

"...His writing about forestry is very well done, as he was raised in a lumber town in British Columbia and has been involved in forestry most of his..." Read more

"I heard Patrick Moore plugging this book on NPR. He came off as very articulate and credible so I downloaded a copy on my Kindle...." Read more

"Every young person should read this enlightening book.Very well written and with all the links to the research...." Read more

"I liked the honesty of the author." Read more

The more you learn the more you are certain climate change is natural
5 out of 5 stars
The more you learn the more you are certain climate change is natural
Patrick Moore gives both a comprehensive review of an organization, Greenpeace, that began doing great things and then lost its way, and of the various aspects of climate change in an historical and scientific context. Any open-minded reader of his book will come away convinced that the human-caused component of climate change, if it exists, is inconsequential and that adaptation to whatever climate brings is better than futile attempts to stop it from changing. If all will read this, the waste of trillions of dollars will be stopped, making this one of the most valuable books ever written.As the chart shows, we are now in the coldest 1,000-year period of the past 10,000 years. During the preceding warmer 9,000 years, human civilization grew and prospered with abilities that couldn't be used during the 100,000-year glacial period (ice age) that preceded warming.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2023
The book started with establishing the environmental activist credentials before it became popular. It also gives insights into how politics and individual agendas have shaped the modern Greenpeace movement. This reads more as a personal memoir. I think the author did a good job of remaining at a professional distance when discussing events and actions of others that at the time probably at the time the reactions would have been much stronger and less open to other points of view.

The second part of the book does a deep dive into individual issues and the science against the established environmental stance. While I no longer work in science, this section reaffirmed many of my own observations around topics and raised several points that I will have to critically investigate more thoroughly. I found the section on climate change and the behaviour of the researchers involved in particular needing further critical research before I decide where I sit.

Highly worth a read if you want to get a different perspective in order to make a more informed personal decision on key items on the environmental agenda.
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2012
I just finished reading "Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout - The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist" by the founder (one of a handful, but he was the driving force by far) Patrick Moore.
After a short chapter of introductory frustration over the change of course Greenpeace has made, which made him drop out, he gives a great history of how they single-handedly launched successful campaigns against atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, illegal hunting of whales, clubbing of tens of thousands of seal pups, and quite a few other activities that I think were worthy endeavors in protecting our environment. He also protested building nuclear power plants, but has now done an about face on that. One could skip over this and start with page 37, "The Beginnings," if the introductory part hasn't enough interest.

Much of the book is spent on refuting the reasons Greenpeace has for their campaigns on genetic alteration of crops and animals, use of chemicals in industrial products, global climate change, and so forth. He states (very correctly) that the evolved Greenpeace bases nearly nothing on science or real data (or what I would call "common sense"), but is obsessed with winning converts and battling authorities and industries. His writing about forestry is very well done, as he was raised in a lumber town in British Columbia and has been involved in forestry most of his life. His contention is that lumber is our greatest renewable resource and that the forestry industry is NOT destroying the forests, but expanding them. He makes great arguments in favor of nuclear power (he didn't mention this, but I love the bumper sticker I've often seen "more people have died in the back seat of Ted Kennedy's car than in US nuclear accidents").

I wasn't aware that Greenpeace is trying to have the element chlorine declared a toxic material and that it should be banned in manufacturing or used where it can expose people. Amazing. What do we use to "salt" our food? How can we have sanitary swimming pools? Etc. It is a fairly long book, but contains a huge list of footnotes referencing his sources (many accessible by websites). If nothing else, read chapter 20 "The Climate of Fear" where he puts forth a great argument that the earth pretty much does as it wishes, as far a climate is concerned, and that yes, we may be affecting it to some degree, but the earth has been much warmer in the past, has had much higher CO2 (even in cool times!), and that the current warming trend, which started around 18,000 years ago, with occasional short cooling periods, is much better for us than a prolonged cooling period would be.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the book (as a scientist, I like approaches based on facts and integrity), despite not agreeing with a few comments (US needs government health care, which was only a sentence or two). Perhaps I liked it because I agree with nearly all his assertions about the real intent of Greenpeace and the lack of credible science. I think they have evolved from a very useful organization into an anti-industry group seeking notoriety and exerting muscle disproportionate to their causes.
30 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
By reading this book you will understand that no science is settled and brave scientists.
Will continue to challenge the so called settled results as we always should do.
And that we should demand high standards for our scienctists.
And personal or political beliefs or agenda should not influence the results of study’s or reports.
Thanks for a wonderful book.
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2019
Dr. Moore's book is part biography, dealing with helping to found Greenpeace and his early activism, which was both reasonable (in what they hoped to achieve) and sometimes radical (in the methods they sometimes used, risking themselves to achieve their goals). His story highlights the dangers of activism - early on, there really were some very egregious practices that needed to end. But what happens when you've pretty much fixed all of the main problems? Too many activists are addicted to activism; they must treat smaller and smaller issues as if they are every bit as horrendous as that which went before.

There comes a time when the real goals have been met and the activist should switch to a proponent. In other words, rather than screaming about what he's against, he needs to become a calm, reasoned voice for what he supports. Dr. Moore made that transition successfully. Too many of his former compatriots could not. He now talks about sustainability, about clean, responsible energy production that keeps energy at a price that is affordable, about the agriculture we will need to feed 9.5 billion people and how it is within our reach, about that fact that we must meet the needs of people while still preserving and protecting our planet.

One need not agree with all that Dr. Moore proposes to find this book a valuable resource. In it, he provides logical, factual arguments for the approaches he supports without the stridency that is typical of the usual activists today. You won't feel like someone is screaming in your face as you read the book. Rather, it feels like a pleasant conversation over a beer at your favorite pub.

I strongly recommend this book.
8 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022
An excellent and informative book. I was intrigued by Moore's story near the end of the book about something his friend Bob Hunter said as they made their way back to Canada after trying to stop nuclear testing in Alaska in 1971. Hunter told Moore:

“Pat [Moore], this is the beginning of something really important and very powerful. ... But there is a very good chance it will become a kind of ecofascism. Not everyone can get a PhD in ecology. So, the only way to change the behavior of the masses is to create a popular mythology, a religion of the environment where people simply have faith in the gurus.”

Replace "gurus" with "the science" and you have today. A sadly prophetic statement. BTW Moore has a PhD in Ecology.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Olivier K
5.0 out of 5 stars A cure against ecofreaks
Reviewed in France on December 23, 2020
A very good book, well documented, from someone with both a scientific background and a clear practical commitment in improving things. A must read for those who have doubts about ecolgists really working for the common good.
robert mccall
5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest and Realistic Account.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2020
A very honest and sensible account from someone who is both knowledgable and passionate about Green issues. My worry is that Green Parties will lose credence eventually when their predictions are seen to be false. Pollution of our Planet should be our biggest concern. Climate Change is too complex to fully understand, and fluctuations have always been noticed or recorded. However, Pollution of our Planet is on a steady upward trajectory. This book both explains and rationalises these views. I joined Greenpeace at an early age and it was because of the views which the Author still holds dear to his heart. An absorbing read.
geoffm
5.0 out of 5 stars Alternate to hysteria
Reviewed in Australia on May 19, 2022
Excellent reading with a balance between anecdotal, science and logical argument. The author certainly gives the reader reason to pause and evaluate the current climate debates.
Jerry Vanee
5.0 out of 5 stars A thought provoking book.
Reviewed in Canada on September 24, 2015
This is a great book and should be read by everyone that has ever donated to an environmental advocacy organization such as Greenpeace.

The first part of the book reads very much as a history of the origins of Greenpeace from the perspective of an insider that lived through those exciting times. Yes, Greenpeace accomplished great things in its early days and for that we can be eternally thankful to them. They virtually stopped the widespread destruction of the whales and halted the testing of nuclear weapons. But, somewhere along the way, they lost their way. They were hijacked by self-seeking individuals who know that environmental activism can be a great way to make lots of money. They do this by spreading a culture of fear and then feeding on that fear for financial gain. I find it interesting that many of the current Greenpeace campaigns are virtually un-winnable. This is brilliant since it creates a never ending battle and as long as the funds come in, a never ending job for the people Greenpeace employs.

The Greenpeace staff certainly get around. On their own website they proudly claim to have '2.9 million members worldwide, and represent them at virtually every international environmental conference.' And how may I ask, do they get to all these international environmental conferences? Do they walk? Or, do they fly in commercial airlines? What do they think powers that airplane? Do the Greenpeace activists know that jet fuel is made from crude oil?

Dr. Moore makes a statement in the book that 'environmentalism has gone off the rails and has become an apocalyptic religion that is self-defeating and demoralizing.' When one considers much of the debate surrounding the subject of environmentalism, it is clear that it has indeed become a new religion for many of the proponents. I am reminded of a quote from the L.Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, 'You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.' This is what the higher-ups at Greenpeace have done. They have turned the environmental movement into a new religion. As long as they can continue to spread a culture of fear related to global warming, chemicals in our environment and genetically modified foods, they can continue to conduct lucrative fundraising campaigns.

I'd like to relate a personal anecdote at this point. Sometime around 1992, I was in my driveway washing my car when a Greenpeace canvasser walked up to request a contribution to the cause. Since he was on foot, it was gratifying to see that at the moment, his carbon footprint was very low. I do not generally give money to people collecting at the door, but I thought I should be polite and ask him what campaigns they were currently conducting; since they had now saved the whales and the seals and had stopped nuclear proliferation. He got very excited at my interest and quickly told me they had a campaign to eliminate the automobile. I asked for clarification of whether they wanted to eliminate all cars, or just mine, which I happened to be washing at that moment. He told me with great enthusiasm that they intended to eliminate all automobiles. I immediately asked him how I would get to work. His very glib answer was 'public transit'. I told him that I was regularly required to travel for work to places such as Prince George, B.C. and that public transit does not go there. He did not have any response to that comment. I am a strong proponent of public transit and I do take it whenever possible. However, to say someone is going to eliminate the automobile and replace it with public transit, is simply foolish. Making cars more fuel efficient, less polluting or electric are all achievable goals. Eliminating them altogether in our technological society makes no sense. I wished him a pleasant day and told him that I would not be making a contribution. I knew at that moment that Greenpeace had wandered into an area of radical activism that was not worth funding. However, 2.8 million regular contributors to Greenpeace disagree with me and are happy to continue contributing to what are essentially un-winnable campaigns.

Dr. Moore calls himself a sensible environmentalist. Greenpeace calls him a traitor to the environmental cause and someone that has turned his back on the movement for financial gain. It seems to me that Greenpeace has exploited the movement for the past two decades - primarily for financial gain.

I do not agree with everything Dr. Moore says in his book, however for the most part his arguments make rational sense. If you care about the environment and want concrete suggestions on how to help in a sustainable, practical manner I suggest you read the book.

Jerry VanEe
Alf Reading
5.0 out of 5 stars Biografie eines Umweltaktivisten und einer Umweltorganisation
Reviewed in Germany on October 6, 2013
Einerseits ist das Buch die faszinierende Autobiographie eines Wissenschaftlers, der sich angetrieben von Bewunderung und Liebe zur Natur und von wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnis gegen Schädigung der Umwelt und für nachhaltige Entwicklung einsetzt.
Andererseits ist es die mehr erschreckende als faszinierende Entwicklung einer Organisation von anfangs dilettantischen Idealisten zu einer perfekten globalen Kampagnenmaschine.
Die detailreichen Schilderungen der verschiedenen Aktionen von Greenpeace sind spannend zu lesen. In der ersten größeren Aktion versucht eine zusammengewürfelte Mannschaft, mit einer kleinen Jacht in den für US-amerikanische H-Bombenversuche gesperrten Bereich der Beringsee einzudringen. Sie sind selbst überrascht, wie das Medienecho auf Ihre eigentlich gescheiterte Aktion die Weltmacht USA letztlich zwingt, die Versuche in dem Gebiet einzustellen. Es folgen weitere abenteuerliche Aktionen gegen den Walfang, das Abschlachten von Robbenbabies und gegen französische Nuklearversuche in der Südsee. Dabei kommt es durch den Sprengstoffanschlag des französischen Geheimdienstes auf die "Rainbow Warrior" zu dem einzigen Todesopfer der Aktionen
Schon bei den ersten Aktionen zeigen sich Spannungen zwischen radikalen Fundamentalisten und Pragmatikern, die bereit sind auch mit Verbündeten für ihre Ziele zusammen zu arbeiten, z.B. als auch Brigitte Bardot gegen das Robbenschlachten eintritt. In vielen Ländern bilden sich lokale Greenpeace Organisationen, die bald auch eigene Kampagnen starten.
Der Bruch zwischen dem Autor und der Organisation beginnt damit, dass einerseits die Organisation sich verselbständigt und teilweise Kampagnen danach auswählt, wieviel Spenden durch klare Feindbilder mobilisierbar sind. Andererseits nimmt der Autor 1982 an einer Konferenz des United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi teil, wo ihm die Vertreter von weniger entwickelten Ländern ins Bewusstsein bringen, dass die Menschen dort Bedürfnisse haben, die nur durch die Nutzung von gewissen Umweltressourcen befriedigt werden können. Dies motivierte ihn, nicht mehr nur gegen umweltschädigende Aktivitäten vorzugehen, sonder auch positiv zu forschen, wie die knappen Umweltressourcen nachhaltig genutzt werden können. Er betreibt selbst eine Lachsfarm als Alternative zur Überfischung der wilden Lachse und beteiligt sich an der Entwicklung von Konzepten zu nachhaltiger Forstwirtschaft.
Der Bruch wird endgültig, als Greenpeace Kampagnen eben gegen diese nachhaltige Ressourcennutzung startet.
In weiteren Kapiteln beschreibt der Autor ausführlich weitere Kampagnen von Greenpeace die bestenfalls unsinnig sind, aber oft sogar nachhaltige und effiziente Ressourcennutzung verhindern. Da diese Kampagnen aber immer ein klares Feindbild haben, treffen sie in Medien und Öffentlichkeit auf viel Zustimmung.
Diese Kapitel sind eine Pflichtlektüre für alle an Umweltschutz und nachhaltiger Entwicklung interessierten Menschen. Daher trotz einiger Längen und Wiederholungen 5 Sterne.
Das Buch ist auf Englisch z.T. schwierig zu lesen, vor allem dort, wo die sprachliche Verfälschung von Umweltproblemen in den Medien behandelt wird. Ich frage mich, ob Greenpeace mit Druck auf Verleger eine deutsche Übersetzung verhindert, oder ob Greenpeace schon so mächtig ist, dass Verleger sich dies in vorauseilender Selbstzensur gar nicht trauen?