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This book can heal the planet
We all know our planet is sick. But what we may not realize is the Earth has an immune system—and it’s fighting back.
Every day we’re bombarded with bleak images of dying reefs, melting glaciers, war and genocide. In a world with so much sickness and suffering, optimism can be a challenge. But renowned economist Paul Hawken reminds us that despite ecological degradation and the horrors afflicting humanity, a powerful and largely invisible movement is actively seeking change.
Hawken estimates that 1 to 2 million organizations worldwide are working to heal the environment, support social justice and save indigenous cultures. Unlike conventional movements that follow a common ideology, this one incorporates diverse ideas and has no doctrine, manifesto or centralized authority. It’s a collective response to a planet perceived to be dying, spearheaded by a multitude of groups championing specific causes—from protecting the Amazon to fighting hunger and poverty to working for women’s rights to saving the Arctic from oil drilling. Humanity, Hawken explains, is on a more single-minded quest to end suffering than ever before.
Just as our bodies can succumb to poor health only to bounce back, the planet’s decline can be halted. But it’s up to us, Hawken believes, as part of a growing movement functioning as the Earth’s immune system, to heal the planet.
Learn more about Paul Hawken and Blessed Unrest in Ode Editor-in-Chief Jurriaan Kamp’s May 2007 interview with the author.
And check out an excerpt from the book here.
