Where We Stand

A new book on the current state of human welfare and the environment has been released by AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association. The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health’s Seymour Garte claims that our environment is in far better shape than we have been led to believe in his book WHERE WE STAND: A Surprising Look At The Real State of Our Planet.

A recent Nobel Peace Prize win by Al Gore for his efforts to raise public awareness of global warming has led to bad news regarding the future of our planet. With its dire outlook on our planet’s environment, his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, was aimed at galvanizing viewers to take action. Because so many media outlets report negatively on our environment, it’s no wonder the majority of people feel as though the situation is getting worse and worse. Over the course of his career, Dr. Garte has gained extensive experience in the field. He believes that doomsday scenarios do not motivate people to take action and work towards the future, but rather lead them towards apathy and ineffectiveness, whereas clear, demonstrable progress inspires and focuses people.

In his remarks, Dan Greenbaum, a former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Vice Chair of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Air Quality Management in the United States, stated that the book is a refreshingly honest examination of the state of the Earth. In order for us to address the challenges we face, we must be optimistic about our ability to make progress. It is clear from the work of Seymour Garte that we have already come a long way, and that we can face our future challenges with faith and hope as long as we continue to succeed.”

With a wide array of statistics and studies from the World Health Organization, the Health Effects Institute, the United Nations, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Worldwatch Institute, Dr. Garte shows that the environment and human welfare have actually been improving steadily for the past three decades.

As an engine for environmental preservation and recovery, democracy plays an important role in WHERE WE STAND, according to Dr. Garte.

Taking into account communist Eastern Europe, environmental activists in China should be viewed in the context of communist Eastern Europe. It is believed by Dr. Garte that people will work for the greater good and can, but economics tell us people are too lazy or selfish to sacrifice for it.

Yet as WHERE WE STAND points out, millions of people recycle every day even though it isn’t convenient or cost-effective.

WHERE WE STAND gives new hope to those who despair the fate of the earth. Balanced and convincing, this is a book that will change the way we view the planet and the future.