By Anna Markulis, VRG Intern
Keith Akers’ new book, Embracing Limits, is an enjoyable and intriguing read that offers a unique perspective on the environmental crisis that our generation is faced with and will continue to be affected by in the future. Akers argues the cause of environmental destruction, at its core, is the human desire for limitless growth and expansion. He explains that the most effective solution we can do as humans is to “embrace limits” and relinquish our near unquenchable desire for expansion and growth.
I appreciated Akers introduction of the book which gives a detailed history of the environmental movement and how it has changed over time. This includes the rise of the Conservation Movement of the late 19th century, the environmentalism movement that gained traction in the 60s and 70s, and the most recent wave of environmentalism, the Climate Justice Movement. While all these major movements made at least some sort of progress, Akers argues that they have inevitably failed to address the root of environmental destruction. Akers explains that in order to contain our desire for expansion, it is essential that we embrace limits and understand their necessity. Our current economic and political systems are based on the idea of unlimited growth, which is an unsustainable and unrealistic assumption with our current rate of environmental degradation.
Akers does not simply lecture the reader on these issues, he provides practical and helpful solutions, or “limits,” that we can all embrace in our daily lives. These limits go beyond the basic recycling and electric cars. The most prevalent solution Akers suggests is to limit our consumption of meat and animal products, and to instead adopt a plant-based diet. This is wonderful news to all vegetarians and vegans alike. A plant-based diet is not only beneficial to humans’ health, but has a positive impact on the environment. He argues that animal agriculture has a negative impact on the environment, through deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Akers admits that though some people may find it challenging to completely give up meat and animal products, it is most important that we make efforts to reduce our overall meat consumption as a means of helping to solve our environmental crisis.
I’d recommend Embracing Limits to anyone who feels stumped about what they can do to help solve our environmental crisis. He provides practical everyday solutions backed by science and research. Just as Akers suggests in this book, sometimes the answer is truly so simple, yet massive. Instead of thinking of solutions in terms of expansion and innovation, we should instead set limits and embrace them for a healthier planet and human population.
You can purchase Embracing Limits here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/embracing-limits-keith-akers/1143247893