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by Boomert - Now or Never by Tim Flannery 12 Jan 2010
First published as a quarterly essay last year, Now or Never is well worth the attention its re-release in book form will bring. In the initial essay, Flannery admitted that since 2007 he has ‘found it increasingly hard to read the scientific findings on climate change without despairing’. And yet, his essay articulated the opposite of despair; it is an exploration of potential solutions to the climate crisis. In re-releasing the essay, Black Inc. has included responses to it from a range of commentators. Among them, Peter Cosier expresses exactly why Flannery’s essay stands out from the myriad other works on this crisis: it embodies his ‘pre-disposition to conceptualise and visualise unknown worlds’. Not all of his imaginings for our future world meet with approval. David Foster, author of Slow Food, doubts there will be many takers for the scientist’s envisioned ‘holistic’ farming, Geoff Russell criticises Flannery’s neglect of the impact of meat eating on greenhouse emissions and Ian Lowe and Barney Foran take aim at his failure to reject ‘clean coal’ endeavours. Flannery’s reply to the responses is the biggest disappointment in what is otherwise a thought-provoking read. An excellent recommendation for newcomers to the debate, those with an established interest, and anyone who enjoyed the initial essay.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (March 2009, Vol 88, No 6.) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Author Biography: Tim Flannery
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