HOW TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT THE PLANET The Case for an Environmental Conservatism

Scruton is no friend of moderation. This brief foray into "environmental conservatism" begins with a badly informed screed against government-based environmental policies everywhere (Chapters 2-5). Then, after an interesting personal analysis that articulates many of the significant lessons English landscape preservation has for Americans, he offers a radical set of recommendations—including carbon taxes, distributed energy generation, and limits to growth. In the process of examining oikophilia (love of home), he discovers that small is beautiful. Scruton is always combative and occasionally quite engaging. Simon Prebble soldiers through the near gibberish of the early sections of the book and conveys enthusiasm for many of the more compelling observations later. His pace is perfect, and his pronunciations flawless. F.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2012]