Oxygen manifesto is a story of the triumph of ordinary people over the might of the establishment in their battle to save the environment. Thatha lives in a remote and inaccessible part of Manipur and Ravi is a young IAS Officer from the Tamil Nadu Cadre. Circumstances bring them together and they create the most effective environmental movement the world has ever seen. They shun the politics of criticism and personal attacks and focus on establishing a new Polity based on the principles of environmental protection, habitat conservation, direct Civil action and democratic Decentralization. Oxygen manifesto is an engaging story about environmental degradation and the impact of the Anthropocene. It exposes the myth around wealth creation and the paradigm of economic growth. It also plants a development narrative that is environment-centric—an idea which is considered fringe in today’s times, but is bound to emerge as a mainstream thought in the future. The story also has an undercurrent of minimalism and Veganism, as opposed to consumerism and wasteful consumption. A novel concept of taxing Goods and Services based on their carbon and Water footprint has also been introduced by the writer. This is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of human civilization.
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Rupa Publications India (20 March 2019)
Language: English
Genre: Environment
Source: Publishers’ Review Copy
Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
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Without understanding how the environment works and how the different environmental factors interact with each other and with our usage of the planet, we cannot even begin to understand how to slow the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, plastic pollution, and all of the other harmful impacts we are having on the planet.
First comes knowledge, then comes understanding, before finally comes potential solutions! The Oxygen Manifesto book throws some light on these facts, helps us understanding the environment is a fundamental requirement for the well being, healthy and economic prosperity.
Through the voices of Ravi Chandran Bose and Thatha, the author spins a great tale about the Manifesto which is concerned about the environment. The narrative is so impressive with the fine language and the author handles it with great diligence.
Environment is a very complex entity which has its own set of natural procedures to maintain its stability. Since it is an enormous, human are inclined to interfere with it due to which it may get destabilized for some time and after that it attains its equilibrium but everything has a limit. When this interference goes beyond that limit, the environment cannot cope up with these sudden changes which further leads to its degradation.
Unfortunately, humans have become extremely parasitic to our environment. It is sad and unfortunate that we are negating the existence of other life forms for the sake of our own selfish nature. There is a plethora of reasons as to why conservation of the environment is a necessity. The later we choose to realize it, the worse we do it for the future. What we have got handed down is for us to hand down intact if not augmented.
Overall, Oxygen Manifesto is an imaginative, thought provoking tale of how—for a better environment in a fictional tale, the story which holds your attention till you turn the last page. I would recommend this crisply written, well-researched book to all the readers, not just for the one who is interested in knowing or studying about the environment. I rate this book 4 out of 5 Stars!
Atulya Misra is a senior officer of Indian Administrative Services; currently posted as the Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department in Government of Tamil Nadu. He has earlier worked as Principal Secretary in the departments of Industries, Environment & Forests, and Transport. He has also served as chairman of different organizations, including Chennai Port Trust, Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board, Titan and TNPL. Atulya Misra is an alumnus of Scindia School, Gwalior; Hindu College, University of Delhi; TERI University, Delhi; universities of Texas and Yale, USA; and Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK. He was awarded a doctorate by Anna University, Chennai, for his work on carbon footprint. He has written numerous papers for scientific journals. This is his first book.
Retrospect, On My Take! 