Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life

Many authors, including Wilson, have suggested that humans have so radically transformed Earth’s climate and environment that we should recognize the end of the Holocene and replace it with a new geological epoch, called the Anthropocene. What evidence does Wilson present for this position? Do you find his argument convincing? Why or why not?

Wilson spends significantly more time describing human-driven reduction and extinctions of species, and providing examples of living species, ecosystems, their importance, and how they are braided together, than describing how to attain the goal of preserving half of earth’s surface to nature. In fact, his final chapter, “What Must Be Done,” is one of the shortest in the book. Why does Wilson choose to so thoroughly document human destruction and the richness of the biosphere? Does this help or harm his half-earth solution?

It is Wilson’s belief that the most dangerous worldview is that of new conservationists or anthropocentrists. What are specific examples that Wilson uses to support this argument? Do you find this argument convincing? Why or why not?