Hope, Human and Wild: True Stories of Living Lightly on the Earth

In The End of Nature, McKibben aptly demonstrated that we are in the midst of an environmental crisis. Now he argues that there is reason for optimism, that, perhaps, there is the possibility that environmental ``damage can be limited and contained.'' To achieve this transformation, he argues, it's necessary ``to imagine a future vastly different from the present, one where people consume much less and restrain themselves much more.'' McKibben analyzes two Third World environmental successes, Curitiba, Brazil, and Kerala, India. In both cases, quality of life is high although money is scarce. McKibben's purpose in looking abroad is to see what lessons can be brought home; indeed, the chapters on Brazil and India are sandwiched inside a discussion of the environmental state of New England. Unfortunately, for all his optimism, the two common threads in the successful case studies are a shared sense of community and extremely nonmaterial lifestyles and cultures. It is unclear how a similar ethos might be transplanted to this country. While there are many thought-provoking moments, the book fails to gel as an integrated whole. (Oct.)