One with Nineveh: Politics, Consumption, and the Human Future.

The title of this book references Rudyard Kipling's poem "Recessional," a cautionary tale about the pride and arrogance that preceded the fall of the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire. The authors recall that this ancient Mesopotamian civilization was doomed not only by warfare but also by ecological collapse from deforestation and unsustainable irrigation--two threats facing civilization today. Paul Ehrlich, an expert on population trends, and Anne Ehrlich, a conservationist, pinpoint three factors that are making modern society unsustainable: rising consumption, increasing world population, and unchecked political and economic inequity. The authors assert that although these are the most pressing concerns facing the world, most people ignore them in an act of hubris reminiscent of that of the Mesopetamians. The authors say that each individual needs to take responsibility for his or her own actions and adopt ethical behaviors suited to a crowded, interdependent planet. They back up their claims with data from studies of economics, biodiversity, climate, and migration. While many people seem to believe that humankind will invent its way out of these problems, the authors say that's not an effective or a likely approach. Instead, in this book that is highly critical of the current U.S. administration, they offer a thoroughgoing plan for improving our current condition and working toward sustainability. Island pr, 2004, 447 p., hardcover, $27.00.