Betting the Earth: How We Can Still Win the Biggest Gamble of all Time (Our National Conversation)
Kunich, who has written previously on contemporary extinction and the lack of an adequate legal response, presents another demanding academic environmental title, one that combines philosophy with, of all things, gambling. Largely free of politics, except for a healthy discussion of the ramifications of “Climategate,” he asks what we are willing to wager on the earth’s survival. This leads to overviews on global warming and consideration of the price already exacted from organisms. Kunich then turns to Pascal, Gödel , and Heisenberg to analyze historic examples of decision making and probability to show, in essence, how we should “bet” on the earth. It’s an interesting conceit, approaching environmentalism not from the standard positions of politics, economics, or passion, but rather through a highly organized thought experiment. Kunich is correct in observing that risk analysis plays heavily into the way we address environmental policy, and his measured and reasoned arguments make clear that if we are going to gamble, we, like anyone in Vegas, should be honest about the stakes and odds. --Colleen Mondor