The future of life

There's a lot of talk about the mess we are making of the planet, but you might begin to wonder how whether this is just one of those things that people say, without any substance behind it. If so then you should read 'The future of life' in which Edward O Wilson looks at the problems facing humanity, but with detailed information to back up his arguments. Wilson is an expert in biodiversity issues, and has put together a compelling argument about what we should do to give other life on Earth a fair use of its resources.

The book starts with a look at the breadth of life on Earth and then goes on to look at population growth, and what resources are available to support it. This is followed by chapters on habitat destruction and species extinction. Wilson then examines the different ways of assessing the value of the biosphere for humanity. The final chapter considers what can be done about the problem, drawing on Wilson's extensive involvement in the area.

Following the furore over Sociobiology, it is interesting to see how Wilson is much more tentative about such ideas, and clearly wants people to see what he really considers to be important.