The bet : Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth's future / Paul Sabin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sabin, Paul, 1970-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ehrlich, Paul R.

Simon, Julian Lincoln, 1932-1998.

Simon, Julian Lincoln.

Environmental economics.

Environmental policy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (321 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"The Bet uses a legendary wager between the Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich and the conservative University of Illinois economist Julian Simon to examine the roots of modern environmentalism and its relationship to broader political conflicts in the nation. Ehrlich, author of the landmark 1968 book The Population Bomb, believed that rising populations would cause overconsumption, scarcity, and disastrous famines. Simon countered that flexible markets, technological change, and human ingenuity would allow societies to adapt to changing circumstances and continue to improve human welfare. In 1980, they made a much-ballyhooed bet about the future prices of five metals that served as a proxy for their arguments about the future. The Bet weaves intellectual biographies of Ehrlich and Simon into the history of late twentieth-century environmental politics and other struggles of the era between liberals and conservatives. Humanity's larger gamble on the future still remains unresolved. By wrestling with the different sides of these arguments, The Bet encourages a more nuanced approach to environmental problems, one that acknowledges the limitations of both ecology and economics in guiding policy, and that instead emphasizes the conflicting values that underlie political choices. The Bet is structured around three bets: first, the $1000 bet that Ehrlich (and two colleagues) made with Simon over the prices of chromium, copper, nickel, tin, and tungsten; second, the bet that the United States faced in the 1980 presidential election in choosing between Carter and Reagan; and third, the larger gamble that we as a society continue to make as we make choices"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Preface

Introduction

CHAPTER ONE. Biologist to the Rescue

CHAPTER TWO. Dreams and Fears of Growth

CHAPTER THREE. Listening to Cassandra

CHAPTER FOUR. The Triumph of Optimism

CHAPTER FIVE. Polarizing Politics

CHAPTER SIX. Betting the Future of the Planet

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780300198881

0300198884

OCLC:

857490891