Killing the Koala and Poisoning the Prairie

There are many similarities between Australia and the US. Both are vast, had similar origins, and are examples of super-consuming, over-developed rich, literate countries. There are also, of course, striking distinctions between Australia and the United States, perhaps most notable in the environmental arena. The floras and faunas are as different as koalas and grizzlies. But the use of the environments is even more distinct. Although comparable in size, the US is about ten times as densely populated as Australia, and two Americans consume the same amount of resources as three Australians. Australia's more fragile environment, with high proportions of endemic species, has resulted in the highest number of recently extinct mammals compared to every other country in the world. And yet the pace of land use change in the US has been significantly higher over the last several decades.
The most fundamental of issues each of these countries is facing at present, and in the immediate future, is how to manage their environments in the face of climate change. Each country needs to extract resources, lower its energy footprint, and grapple with dynamic climate patterns that threaten even the most developed of countries. Ehrlich and Bradshaw, renowned ecologists, invite readers to join a conversation about the ways in which Australia and the US can benefit from modelling environmental decisions and actions on each other's most successful policies, and learn from each country's failures as well. They weave in these pages a comparative story of their two countries, and create a blueprint for what needs to change to avoid the worst environmental and political crises from invading the shores of each of these countries.