Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It |  | Author: Anna Lappe
Creator: Bill McKibben
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
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Seller: bloomsdaybooks & Records
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 30145
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 1596916591
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.19
EAN: 9781596916593
ASIN: 1596916591
Publication Date: March 30, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Beyond what we already know about "food miles" and eating locally, the global food system is a major contributor to climate change, producing as much as one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. How we farm, what we eat, and how our food gets to the table all have an impact. And our government and the food industry are willfully ignoring the issue rather than addressing it. In Anna Lappé's controversial new book, she predicts that unless we radically shift the trends of what food we're eating and how we're producing it, food system-related greenhouse gas emissions will go up and up and up. She exposes the interests that will resist the change, and the spin food companies will generate to avoid system-wide reform. And she offers a vision of a future in which our food system does more good than harm, with six principles for a climate friendly diet as well as visits to farmers who are demonstrating the potential of sustainable farming. In this measured and intelligent call to action, Lappé helps readers understand that food can be a powerful starting point for solutions to global environmental problems.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
 Good In-Depth Discussion of Modern Agribusiness and Greenwashing February 27, 2010
Lisa M. Mims (Austin, TX United States)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
Many of you thinking about buying this are expecting somethng similar to the "Diet for a Small Planet", which is, in part, a cookbook for vegans and vegetarians. There are no recipes in this book.
What this is, is a very well done discussion of green farming, agribusiness, and what to do eat greener. There are several chapters discussing the greenwashing of agribusiness, and how marketing makes us think that products are "green" which inherently are not. It's fascinating reading.
Specifically, there has been an enormous amount of discussion in the popular press in recent years about how agribusiness-grown foods are better for the planet because they're more efficiently grown--which isn't true; the numbers that have been manufactured to make agribusiness look good don't take into account the sheer volume of fossil fuels required to transport food.
There are also some interesting discussions about how to get sustainable beef: the author talks about carbon sinks in grassland; some ecologists have noted that large swaths of grassland hold even more carbon than forests. If we could just keep cows out of feedlots, then it would be a lot more o.k. to eat beef.
Then, the author goes off on a "green farming" tangent that is a little hard to stomach because her ideas about real farming aren't realistic; the author goes into a long discussion of green farming and rhapsodizes at great length about "growing what would grow there naturally."
No offense, but you know what grows in much of the breadbasket of the United States (California and Texas) without huge amounts of transported water? Nothing.
Despite some of the unrealistic ideas, there are some neat ideas in the chapters on green farming.
The author tells you what to actually eat near the end of the book. It's the usual, "Food, mostly plants." to quote Pollan, and preferably local.
This is very well thought-out, analytically sound, reference for anyone interested in farming or ranching in a sustainable way. It's much better logically than much of what gets published in the popular press.
Who would like this: ecologists, farmers, ranchers, owners of small family farms, people involved in urban planning, and anyone who wants a more in-depth discussion of green farming techniques.
Who wouldn't like this: PETA apologists, and vegan evangelists. She has some negative things to say about them.
Interesting reading March 10, 2010
Mrs. Wilson (BFE)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you are already aware of the relationship between climate change and the food we eat, this book might not serve as a real eye-opener. However, if you're just becoming aware of this relationship, I would recommend this book wholeheartedly. It's packed with information including things we can do to live and eat more responsibly, and it's easy to read.
Obviously, you may not agree with everything the author says, but it's hard to dispute that there are some big problems out there that should be addressed.
We need to start "voting with our dollars" at the supermarket. If we keep buying meat, veggies, etc. that were grown irresponsibly, the big corporations will keep delivering them to our grocery store shelves. All of our little changes can add up to something big if we just make an effort.
A recipe for change March 27, 2010
Malvin (Frederick, MD USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Diet for a Hot Planet" by Anna Lappe is destined to take the issue of industrial agriculture's contribution to the global warming crisis mainstream. Admirably extending her family's legacy to a new generation of readers, Ms. Lappe explains why improving our eating habits may be the most important (if not revolutionary) change we can make for our bodies, our planet and our democracy.
Picking up on themes made famous in her mother's classic Diet for a Small Planet, Ms. Lappe highlights the unprecedented crisis that has been brought to us courtesy of corporate agribusiness. While much has been written about various aspects of this noxious system - such as degraded soils, polluted air and water, destruction of indigenous communities, obesity alongside mass starvation, and so on - few have made the connection with climate change.
Ms. Lappe educates the reader about the seriousness of the challenge we face while deconstructing the corporate spin that attempts to deceive us. We come to understand that while the public remains largely unaware, many corporations are looking forward to profit from a planet that becomes ever less sustainable through the development and control of technologies and scarce resources. Along the way, Ms. Lappe shatters the myth that large-scale industrial farming can feed a hungry world; debunks the flawed science of biotechnology; and of course, details just how much the fossil-fuel driven agribusiness system contributes to global warming (a lot, it turns out).
Yet, Ms. Lappe shows there is hope. She travels around the world to visit farmers, co-ops, community leaders and others who are rejecting the corporate path in favor of a sustainable future. Among the many attributes of this outstanding book, Ms. Lappe explains how organic farmers can revive the environment while reinvigorating local communities (in addition to Ms. Lappe's book, readers who want to explore these issues in-depth might also consider The Biochar Debate and The Town That Food Saved). Importantly, Ms. Lappe provides guidance on how ordinary people can begin to make a positive difference right now in the food choices they make; and lists worthy organizations that are working on solutions to the crisis.
I highly recommend this timely and empowering book to everyone.
A Book for Everyone April 5, 2010
ephemeral
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Anna Lappe's Diet for a Hot Planet is an extremely timely inspection of the effects of our food choices on the environment and what we need to do to ensure that our diet is as healthy for the planet as it is for us. Given the attention that this issue has received in the past 2 years or so, with the increase in news coverage, books, and movies focusing on the topic, I wasn't sure how much use this book would be. Luckily, Lappe's book is well-researched and easy to follow, and she presents the relevant points in a slightly more scientific way than most of the others who have covered the topic. She also provides possible solutions for individuals, farmers, and governments to take in order to lower our carbon foodprints and protect the environment.
Lappe is an excellent writer, and it is clear that she is extremely engaged with the topic. Her visits to various farms and food industry conventions are well recounted and highlight the human element in a story in which it is phenomenally important. She makes the perilous nature of our current situation clear, but she also shows us ways that we can fix what we have begun to ruin. There is enough hope in this book to balance the gravity of the message. Anyone interested in making informed choices about their food should read this book.
A Place To Begin May 14, 2010
Midnight (IL, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm a fan of research papers, and the sheer volume of research that went into writing this book makes it impressive to me. What's even more impressive, though, are the concise and easy to read conclusions that Anna Lappé draws from her research. She clearly shows the connection between climate change and our food system with realism and hope.
The ideas she presents about sustainable eating--from food's origin to its ending--are not radical. Anna draws upon practices that are already in place and flourishing both in the United States and around the globe. What speaks to me most is the need for diversity. Ecosystems thrive efficiently because there are many components working together: farming is the same. There is no need for CAFOS (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) to provide adequately for our food needs, and we don't need to sign off meat (unless we want to). The last 100 pages discuss ways to find and support delicious food that can help rather than harm our surroundings. There are so many websites and other resources that it's difficult to summarize. So, read this book and then interact. You won't be disappointed.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
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