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Using the metaphor of metamorphosis, Carbon Dharma calls for our occupation of the Earth as Butterflies, to undo the damage done by the human species in its present Caterpillar stage of existence. It diagnoses the reasons for our Caterpillar stage of existence as the misinterpretation of the fundamental principles that underlie our democracy and our industrial civilization. It posits that the solution to our predicament was already revealed in the first chapter of the Rig Veda, one of the oldest and foundational texts of human religion, and that we are doing the exact opposite of the Rig Veda's prescription in our modern consumer societies, following false Freudian assertions.The book is intended for the youth of this world who are facing some of the gravest challenges ever faced by any generation of human beings. It is also intended for all those who love the youth of this world, for the youth cannot solve these challenges on their own while their parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts continue to pile on more grave challenges for them to solve. While drawing upon the ancient Hindu concept of Dharma, or "right action", the book weaves illustrative stories from the author's life and leads up to a global call to action, action of a very specific, focused kind. Rather than listing hundreds of "change-light-bulb" type actions that a lot of us have been doing disjointly, but somewhat ineffectively, it lists three specific actions that we can begin to do concertedly to make a difference. While changing the world is about changing ourselves, effecting social change requires such concerted action.

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Based on research conducted over two decades, this accessible and deeply felt book provides a provocative comparative history of environmentalism in two large ecologically and culturally diverse democracies: India and the United States. Ramachandra Guha takes as his point of departure the dominant environmental philosophies in these two countries, identified as "agrarianism" in India and "wilderness thinking" in the U.S. Proposing an inclusive "social ecology" framework that goes beyond these partisan ideologies, Guha arrives at a richer understanding of controversies over large dams, state forests, wildlife reserves, and more. He offers trenchant critiques of privileged and isolationist proponents of conservation, persuasively arguing for biospheres that care as much for humans as for other species. He also provides profiles of three remarkable environmental thinkers and activists: Lewis Mumford, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, and Madhav Gadgil. Finally, the author asks the fundamental environmental question, "how much should a person or country consume?", and explores a range of answers. Copub: Permanent Black

E-book only.
In EcoMind, Frances Moore Lappé--a giant of the environmental movement--confronts accepted wisdom of environmentalism. Drawing on the latest research from anthropology to neuroscience and her own field experience, she argues that the biggest challenge to human survival isn't our fossil fuel dependency, melting glaciers, or other calamities. Rather, it's our faulty way of thinking about these environmental crises that robs us of power. Lappé dismantles seven common "thought traps"--from limits to growth to the failings of democracy-- that belie what we now know about nature, including our own, and offers contrasting "thought leaps" that reveal our hidden power. Like her Diet for a Small Planet classic, EcoMind is challenging, controversial and empowering.

Print only.
Autobiographical essay on the struggle for water for dalits as a councillor of Municipal Corporation in Tamil Nadu.