advance praise
Like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, more than a half century ago, this book should serve as a wake-up call to a generation that is more in tune than ever with our planet’s pulse. As Tucker proclaims, our planet has a people problem. And, as humanity and nature struggle to coexist sustainably, it is time for all of us to focus all our efforts on bending the human population curve downward. Tucker’s formula begins with the empowerment of women, worldwide - but his cookbook for global citizens helps guide our collective actions to a resilient future. A Planet of 3 Billion is essential reading for anyone who cares about the fate of our planet and our species.
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE
Founder - the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace
It is easy to marvel at the sheer enormity and growth of our world, but it is irresponsible to do so without reckoning with its finiteness. In A Planet of 3 Billion, Dr. Christopher Tucker adeptly argues how we can (and we should) shrink the global population from nearing 9 billion to a more manageable 3 billion—and in so doing repay our debt to the planet, a burden it no longer can bear. Timely and instructive, Dr. Tucker’s work explores the nuanced and often overlooked relationship between geography, women’s empowerment, and leadership— an intersection which could have tremendous impacts on our future.
General Stanley A. McChrystal, USArmy (Ret.)
Tucker has written an exceptionally broad-ranging, thought-provoking examination of the relationship between expanding human numbers, socio-economic innovations, and ecological degradation. His effort to explore the historical and geographical roots of our current environmental predicament challenges us to think anew about the future of our planet.
Professor Alexander B. Murphy, Rippey Chair of Liberal Arts & Sciences, University of Oregon. Fmr. President, American Association of Geographers.
Christopher Tucker asks and answers the central question of the 21st century, that being, how do we build a habitable planet? He answers that we build it in the way humans have always advanced before we lost our way. We had a plan and we adjusted to an environment. Now, we are determining the environment. We have become the designer species, but without a design. An invasive species with a brain, but no method to plan. Tucker outlines a thoughtful action plan for long term adaptation and success and does so with the complete set of tools and ideas and theories that will allow for massive human success going forward. This book breaks down the walls of our conceptual prison and offers a path to design freedom for the future. A path we sorely need to find.
Michael M. Crow, President and ASU Foundation Leadership Chair and Professor of Science & Technology Policy, Arizona State University
"A sweeping analysis of extraction, combustion and pollution spelling an unsurvivable future for our species unless we adopt dramatic changes in ecosystem protection and practices. It is irresponsible not to read this book.
Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer
