тАЬThere are two problems for our speciesтАЩ survivalтАФnuclear war and environmental catastrophe, тАЭ says Noam Chomsky in this new book on the two existential threats of our time┬аand their points of intersection since World War II.
While a nuclear strike would require action, environmental catastrophe is partially defined by willful inaction in┬аresponse to human-induced climate change. Denial of the facts is only half the equation. Other contributing factors include extreme techniques for the extraction of remaining carbon deposits, the elimination of┬аagricultural land for bio-fuel, the construction of dams, and the destruction of forests that are crucial for carbon┬аsequestration.
On the subject of current nuclear tensions, Chomsky revisits the long-established option of a┬аnuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East, a proposal set in motion through a joint┬аEgyptian Iranian General Assembly resolution in 1974.
Intended as a warning,┬аNuclear War and Environmental Catastrophe┬аis also a reminder that talking about the unspeakable can still be done with humor, with wit and indomitable spirit.