The Really Inconvenient Truths
Seven Environmental Catastrophes Liberals Don't Want You to Know About—Because They Helped Cause Them
by Iain Murray
April 22, 2008
From the Inside Flap
Al Gore is bad for the planet...
Talk about really inconvenient truths--that's one of the many you'll find in Iain Murray's rollicking exposé of environmental blowhards who waste more energy, endanger more species, and actually kill more people (yes, that's right) than the environmental villains they finger. Did you know that estrogen from birth control and "morning after" pills is causing male fish across America to develop female sex organs? Funny how "pro-choice" and "environmentalist" liberals never talk about that. Or how about this: the Live Earth concert to "save the planet" released more CO2 into the atmosphere than a fleet of 2,000 Humvees emit in a year? We hear a lot about AIDS in Africa, but the number one killer of children in much of Africa is malaria--and guess who was responsible for banning the pesticide that used to have malaria under control? Iain Murray, a sprightly conservative environmental analyst with a long record of skewering liberal hypocrisy, has dug up seven of the all-time great environmental catastrophes caused by the Left and exposed them in The Really Inconvenient Truths. Murray lays bare:
How ethanol, the liberals' favorite fuel, is destroying the world's rainforests--and could cause global food shortages
How Al Gore's hero Rachel Carson cost the lives of millions of Africans through her efforts to ban DDT
How the environmentalists have covered up the polluting effects of contraceptive and chemical abortion drugs
How the Endangered Species Act actually endangers species
How Gore's vision of greater state control over the economy has already produced some of the greatest environmental disasters in history
All of us want a planet with clean air and clean water, vibrant forests, healthy animal populations, and glorious open space. But liberal environmentalists aren't the ones to deliver it. In fact, they've made the planet worse, while old-fashioned property rights, unpopular hunters, and the innovative engine of capitalism have made it better. The facts are all here, in a book that Al Gore would rather burn than read.
From the Back Cover
"Ever wonder about the story of the Cuyahoga River catching fire in Cleveland? Or the accuracy of Rachel Carson's dire warnings about DDT? Or the systematic attempt to discredit prominent scientists who question that there is a significant man-made impact on global temperatures? If you care about the environment, Iain Murray's book is a valuable resource. Murray's book questions politically correct myths that endanger both the environment and public safety."
—JOHN R. LOTT, economist and author of Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-Baked Theories Don't
"With detailed analysis and insight borne of his unique experience, Iain Murray reveals the consequences for which the `environmentalist' establishment--and their political and media enablers--have yet to be held accountable, too busy rushing off to once again wreak destruction in the name of another `greatest threat:' global warming. Murray's account almost makes one yearn for an international criminal court. Almost."
—CHRISTOPHER C. HORNER, bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect GuideTM to Global Warming and Environmentalism
Iain Murray, again and again, demonstrates that the motivating passion for environmentalism is too often a desire for political control first and environmental improvement second. He has the keenest of eyes for spotting where science ends and utopianism takes its place--and rationally explaining why this is folly. Iain Murray understands and recounts in vivid detail that the control environmentalists seek is not only fool's gold, but is actually the fastest route to a less healthy environment and a poorer society. The only reliable guarantee for sustained environmental health is precisely the freedom and property rights so many environmentalists see as the cause of all our problems."
—JONAH GOLDBERG, bestselling author and editor-at-large, National Review Online
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