Even though this book was published in 1998, a lot of it is still spot-on. Offers many other good books to consider as well. At the end gets a bit tedious and honestly goes in a different direction than which I had thought it would go.

Read this book if you dare. It will haunt you.

Global warming is the least of our problems. Mankind has had and will continue to have effects on this planet of immense impact. To ignore that and fail to do what is necessary to alter the direction we are going as a species is folly. We fail to comprehend the changes all around us in terms of the using up/pollution of resources necessary to sustain life as we know it. We fail to appreciate the necessity for a sustainable ecosystem including species other than ourselves and we fail to appreciate in particular the geometric population growth which demands a drastic response to slow in any humane way...

absolutely necessary read

A mind-blowing assessment of the fundamental problem facing humanity today: energy dependence upon a non-renewable resource. This book is a must-read for those who wish to be challenged with aspects of undeniable truth. That said, there are some conclusions that Hartman reaches that are unique to his particular experience and might not be justified for the whole of the human race though he implies otherwise. For all you neocons out there, don't bother. This book will only serve to weaken your ideological foundations (which are likely more important to you than the truth...).

After looking at Tesla's essay on the problem of increasing energy this book seemed like a logical next step. The same problem is illustrated but the emphasis is on requiring less, rather than generating more. I like the systemic answers proposed in the text, but I doubt their practicality in anything short of a future where we've reached the level of degradation portrayed in the Mad Max movies.

In The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight Thom Hartmann synthesizes the work of some of my favorite writers and scholars into this culmination of their most profound ideas about the fate of the human race. Hartmann points his audience in a new direction, towards a better future and a more hopeful one than the self-destructive highway to hell we've been rushing on since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution (perhaps since the Agricultural Revolution). From Daniel Quinn to Jack Forbes, from Howard Zinn to Jared Diamond, from Joseph Campbell to Christ, Hartmann shows us that what has controlled the destiny of humankind throughout time is culture. Until we recreate the stories that shape our culture, the human race may not be around to see the next chapter.

This is perhaps the most important book our culture may ever have the chance to read. Even if you walk away already having known the facts presented within (very unlikely), the call to seeing the fundamental reason behind the plight we currently find ourselves in is the core of this book. I don't believe you can effectively have any position on global warming or world hunger without seeing things as they truly stand, and this is the very first book I have read that has provided that viewpoint. Ishmael gets close on the cultural concepts, but this book hits the science and the history as they truly are.

This book gave me a new perspective on sunlight and all matter on earth and the role of humans in our own destruction. An emotional ride, from sadness and panic to hopeful and inspired. There’s a lot wrong with the current state of our world, and the impact of one person seems small. Though to change the world, it starts with you.

A crucial must-read for anyone who is a citizen of planet Earth.

What will we do when our fossil fuels run out? The picture that Hartmann paints isn't a pretty one, but I'm afraid it's probably accurate. The good news is that we won't have to wait long to find out if he's right. The bad news is that we won't have to wait long to find out if he's right, if he's in fact right, and I think he is.

We are burning up stored sunlight every time we turn on a light in our home, turn the key in the ignition to drive to work, and every time we pick up a bottle of water at the convenience store because we're too lazy to fill up a bottle at home, or walk to the fountain in the hallway at school. But those resources are finite, and even if they aren't, the pollution they create buy burning them might kill us before they run out. Hartmann lays out the problem and pulls no punches. We must either face this issue head on, now, or Mother Nature will deal with us, and she's really not happy.

"think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. either the host dies, or the [parasite] dies, or both die." ~gore vidal (as quoted in the book)

this was originally published in 1999, when we had "now reached the halfway point of our supplies of oil." nearly a decade later, most of the book remains as pertinent as when it was written. while thom hartmann is an exceptional writer, there have been, however, many more thorough books published since. nonetheless, this book isn't infused by the negativity that seems to permeate other books in the genre. it is, in fact, quite a hopeful book, as mr. hartmann never seems to lose his faith in our collective capacity for progressive change.

it paints a pretty depressing picture of our current depletion of fossil fuels and other human atrocities destroying the planet. but it also really, really inspired me. it is really important that you read this book.