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Book Summary and Reviews of Break Through by Michael Shellenberger, Ted Nordhaus

Break Through by Michael Shellenberger, Ted Nordhaus

Break Through

From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility

by Michael Shellenberger, Ted Nordhaus

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  • Published:
  • Oct 2007, 256 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Environmental insiders Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus triggered a firestorm of controversy with their self-published essay "The Death of Environmentalism," which argued that environmentalism cannot deal with global warming and should die so that a new politics can be born.

In this eagerly awaited follow-up to the original essay, the authors give us an expansive and eloquent manifesto for political change. What Americans really want, and what could serve as the basis for a new politics, is a vision capable of inspiring us to greatness. Making the case for abandoning old categories (nature/market, left/right), the authors articulate a pragmatism fit for our times that has already found champions in such prominent figures as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"'The Death of Environmentalism'...has provoked a civil war among tree-huggers for its assertion that 'modern environmentalism, with all of its unexamined assumptions, outdated concepts, and exhausted strategies, must die so that something new can live.' Sad to say, the authors are right." --Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.

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More Information

Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger have spent their entire careers working with environmental organizations. The two are managing directors of American Environics, a social values research and political strategy firm, and are senior fellows with the Breakthrough Institute. Their vision of a new, more effective environmentalism is reflected in these proposals already introduced in Congress: "The New Apollo Project," by Representative Jay Inslee; "Health Care for Hybrids," by Senator Barack Obama; and "Global Warming Preparedness," by Senators John Kerry and Olympia Snowe.

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