Books
Review

Local Is Beautiful

Bill McKibben believes we can thrive on a planet that will never be the same. A review of ‘Eaarth.’

Reduce fossil fuel consumption now, or our grandchildren will suffer.” That’s the old wisdom, and it has its critics. Some think environmentalists exaggerate; Bill McKibben believes they don’t go nearly far enough. Global catastrophe, he says, is already here. The earth has changed so radically that it needs a new name: he suggests Eaarth.

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

Times Books

272 pages

$8.58

McKibben has been dubbed “probably the nation’s leading environmentalist” (The Boston Globe) and “the world’s best green journalist” (Time). He is also a churchgoing, Sunday-school-teaching Methodist who has written that church people should be at the fore of the environmental movement, because Christianity teaches social justice, creation care, and selfless concern for others (The Christian Century).

In his newest book, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet (Times Books) , McKibben argues that “the earth has changed in profound ways, ways that have already taken us out of the sweet spot where humans so long thrived.” For 10,000 years we bumped along quite nicely with 275 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Then we started burning fossil fuels, and the CO2 level began to rise. Respected scientists now estimate that the maximum safe level is 350 parts per million. According to McKibben’s website, 350.org, we are currently at 387.

The results are already devastating. If we were able to turn back the clock and reduce CO2 levels to 350ppm or lower, we would still have a thawed Arctic, acidified oceans, changed rainfall patterns, and higher temperatures. “We’re not … going to get back the planet we used to have, the one on which our civilization developed,” McKibben writes.”We’re like the guy who ate steak for dinner every night and let his cholesterol top 300 and had the heart attack. Now he dines on Lipitor and walks on the treadmill, but half his heart is dead tissue.”

Despite his somber warnings, McKibben is no doomsday prophet. Unlike Frank Fenner, an Australian scientist who recently prophesied the extinction of mankind within 100 years, McKibben believes we can thrive on Eaarth, though not if we continue to make a god of economic growth. We can and should develop alternative energy sources, but there’s no way we can afford the number of projects we would need in order to pursue our relentless rush to Bigger and Better.

McKibben’s solution, by contrast, is Small and Local. Instead of hauling food around the world, we should foster family farms. Instead of constant flying and driving, we should keep in touch through the Internet. Instead of building giant centralized power plants, we should develop many local power sources. Instead of relying on the government for everything, we should strengthen our communities.

In this book, McKibben does not relate environmental concerns to biblical teachings, as he has done in articles online and in Harper’s magazine. His recommendations, however, fit well with Scripture’s respect for creation and concern for the poor, its scorn for riches and praise for contentment, and—underlying everything else—its requirement to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The biblical lifestyle sharply contrasts with the Western pursuit of money, possessions, and personal fulfillment. The American gross domestic income is over $46,000 per capita (the world average is about $10,000), and most of us want more. What would happen if millions of prosperous Christians chose instead to live more biblically, looking for ways to share Eaarth’s dwindling resources with all?

LaVonne Neff blogs at Lively Dust and The Neff Review.

Copyright © 2010 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet is available from Amazon.com and other retailers.

LaVonne Neff blogs at Lively Dust and The Neff Review.

Previous Christianity Today articles on climate change include:

Cool on Climate Change | New Christian coalition says fighting global warming will hurt the poor. (September 26, 2006)

Climate Change Is Here to Stay | Debate over global warming has only intensified since conservatives targeted Cizik. (March 30, 2007)

Climate Change Briefing Brings Together Christian Aid Groups | Rising temperatures will disproportionately affect the poor, say analysts. (October 1, 2004)

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Our Latest

Latino Churchesโ€™ Vibrant Testimony

Hispanic American congregations tend to be young, vibrant, and intergenerational. The wider church has much to learn with and from them.

Review

Modern โ€˜Technocultureโ€™ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless

By changing our experience of reality, it tempts those who donโ€™t perceive God to conclude that he doesnโ€™t exist.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamarโ€™s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But itโ€™s the work of Godโ€™s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive Godโ€™s Wordโ€”together.

Review

Safety Shouldnโ€™t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube