Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land To Heal the Earth

In his new book Rescuing the Planet, Tony Hiss sets out on a journey to take stock of the "superorganism" that is the Earth: its land, its elements, its plants and animals, its greatest threats—and what we can do to keep it, and ourselves, alive.

In conversation with botanist and environmentalist Peter Raven, Hiss discusses why it’s critical to understand the scope and gravity of the problems and makes the case to protect half the land and sea by 2050 in order to manage sufficient habitat to reverse the species extinction crisis and ensure the long-term health of the planet.

He highlights the work of some of the many institutions and groups already involved in the fight, such as the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and the global animal-tracking project ICARUS. Hiss also looks at the contributions of engineers, geologists, biologists, botanists, oceanographers, ecologists, and other experts who are allied in the goal of preserving “50 by ’50.”

Hiss is the author of 15 books and was a staff writer at the New Yorker and a visiting scholar at New York University.

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• Purchase your copy of Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth by Tony Hiss here.
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