Earth@Risk

📖 The Scoop

One story that you just can’t miss, the Earth@Risk is a book on the story of Earth, the life-bearing ship going solo in this vast universe, as it suffers at the hands of its own children, the modern humans. The Story is narrated passionately in chapters that cover the beauty and uniqueness of Earth from a cosmic perspective while highlighting its vulnerabilities and the relentless onslaught on its life-bearing capability, accompanied by the great biodiversity loss and a disquieting line-up of innumerable life forms at the unending labyrinth of the extinct.

The author promises to take his readers on a journey. And what a journey it is! From the deep space under the shelter of a Milky Way arm to the core of the earth with the heavy matter settled in it. From the highest mountains to deep trenches in the oceans, the tectonic fault lines, the poles, and the rainforest. Above the crust and below it! The author takes you everywhere in a manner that is somewhat reminiscent of the great works of Jules Verne, except for the fact that Earth@Risk is not a fiction. It is in fact a peephole into reality, where the main character of the story is this uniquely beautiful planet, Earth, tormented by its children and standing precariously balanced in the midst of gargantuan destabilizing forces. The book is an intriguing attempt by the author to touch base with reality and unveil the oft-ignored vulnerability of this planet. It is a lucidly written account from a layman perspective, well researched in drawing conclusions from scientific and historical facts.

The author has raised many questions on the modern lifestyle and civilization – Its driving doctrines (modern economic theory), rampant urbanization, industrialization, and the shutting-down of photosynthesis. He writes of grave danger to life on earth at a very fundamental level in the complete loss of genetic pool and of the innumerable threats that humans have created for the life-bearing part of this planet, the biosphere, which is all but skin-thin on this planet. Hossain calls this part of the earth, the “life-bearing cocoon,” which faces destruction. The book adopts its own characteristic style of narration using words as much as images and pictures to tell the story.

Is it then surprising that we face a Pandemic like COVID that has put most powerful amongst humans on the backfoot? Did we not, in the first place, push wild-life into a corner, enabling viruses to jump species?

As Hossain compellingly puts it - "It is not just a question of global warming. The multiple deteriorating impacts on this planet are rooted in the modern political and socio-economic order".

You may have any number of literary interests, but this is one story that you just can’t miss!

Genre: Literary Collections / Essays (fancy, right?)