Text excerpted from the book: PROTECTING THE PLANET-Environmental Champions from Conservation to Climate Change (ISBN 978-1-63388-225-6)
by
Budd Titlow & Mariah Tinger
The late 1990’s saw the blossoming of a new weapon in the arsenal of environmental activists. The full-on advent of the Internet opened the world of cyberspace to information dissemination and recruitment of new members. Suddenly almost every corner of the world—no matter how remote—was accessible to open communication with the rest of the world. Plus every piece of information ever produced on the planet could now be transferred to other locations in less than a blink of eye. Yes, the onset of the information age had started in full tilt and our world would never be the same again!
While he didn’t really invent the Internet—as many have jokingly claimed—Clinton’s Vice President Al Gore has consistently been one of the world’s most resourceful politicians in using the Internet for dissemination of information about Climate Change and other significant environmental issues. In a 1997 letter to the US State Department under the heading Environmental Diplomacy: The Environment and US Foreign Policy, Gore provided this poignantly insightful assessment of global environmental conditions:
“Environmental problems such as global Climate Change, ozone depletion, ocean and air pollution, and resource degradation—compounded by an expanding world population —respect no borders and threaten the health, prosperity, and jobs of all Americans. All the missiles and artillery in our arsenal will not be able to protect our people from rising sea levels, poisoned air, or foods laced with pesticides. Our efforts to promote democracy, free trade, and stability in the world will fall short unless people have a livable environment. We have an enormous stake in the management of the world’s resources. Demand for timber in Japan means trees fall in the US. Greenhouse gas emissions anywhere in the world threaten coastal communities in Florida. A nuclear accident in the Ukraine kills for generations. Our children’s future is inextricably linked to our ability to manage earth’s air, water, and wildlife today.”
Author’s bio: For the past 50 years, professional ecologist and conservationist Budd Titlow has used his pen and camera to capture the awe and wonders of our natural world. His goal has always been to inspire others to both appreciate and enjoy what he sees. Now he has one main question: Can we save humankind’s place — within nature’s beauty — before it’s too late? Budd’s two latest books are dedicated to answering this perplexing dilemma. PROTECTING THE PLANET: Environmental Champions from Conservation to Climate Change, a non-fiction book, examines whether we still have the environmental heroes among us — harking back to such past heroes as Audubon, Hemenway, Muir, Douglas, Leopold, Brower, Carson, and Meadows — needed to accomplish this goal. Next, using fact-filled and entertaining story-telling, his latest book — COMING FULL CIRCLE: A Sweeping Saga of Conservation Stewardship Across America — provides the answers we all seek and need.Having published five books, more than 500 photo-essays, and 5,000 photographs, Budd Titlow lives with his music educator wife, Debby, in San Diego, California.
CONSERVING NATURE WITH WORDS & PHOTOS 