Summer 2008 (Class of 2012): the Ravaging Tide - by Mike Tidwell (2006).

Book Description-
If, like many Americans, you believe the ongoing tragedy of Hurricane Katrina was a once-in-a-lifetime fluke, you need to read this book. In the coming years and decades, the safety of your region, tour town, your home may depend on the warnings you'll encounter [in this book]. That's because the exact same conditions that created the Katrina catastrophe and destroyed New Orleans are being replicated right now along virtually every inch of U.S. coastline. In The Ravaging Tide, Mike Tidwell, a renowned advocate for the environment and an award-winning journalist, issues a call to arms and confronts us with some unsettling facts. -2006  edition

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Discussion Questions

1. In light of the sea-level rise and stronger storms that Tidwell asserts will happen in the near future, should coastal development be stopped?

2. Tidwell cites a large body of data that supports the notion of man-made global warming.  In the face of such evidence, can one remain skeptical of climate change?

3. Does the account Tidwell gives of the history of south Louisiana provide a convincing explanation of the disaster of Katrina?

4. Tidwell blames the catastrophe of Easter Island in part on "the pursuit of short-term gains at the expense of long-term survival." Is this a normal human trait? Can you think of other examples of this?

5. Can altered individual behavior, as discussed in the second half of the book, bring about the kind of large-scale change Tidwell argues we need?