"Gus Speth brought global environmental concerns to the world's attention nearly a quarter of a century ago. His extraordinary new book is an impassioned plea to take these issues seriously before it is too late. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to read Red Sky at Morning and take action while we can."
— Jimmy Carter, former president of the United States

Speth “is not your run-of-the-mill environmental Cassandra. On the contrary, Mr. Speth is a thoughtful and well-informed observer of the environmental scene, and his book is a balanced and pragmatic look at the topic. …He offers up a number of suggestions for improving ‘global environmental governance’ arising from his decades of experience.”
—The Economist

“In Red Sky at Morning, the ultimate insider offers a devastating critique of global environmental efforts.”
—Time

“Call to action books about environmental issues must strive for balance. They must sound the alarm, Silent Spring-style, loudly enough to get readers motivated (i.e. frightened); but, on the other hand, they must remain optimistic enough to prevent feelings of futility from morphing into lethargy. …It also helps to include specific suggestions for action. This book meets all of those challenges beautifully.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“James Gustave Speth’s Red Sky at Morning is a particularly useful summary of the ecological situation…He has probably spent more hours in international conferences and treaty parleys than any other American. His careful and judicious book concludes that much of that effort has been wasted…Speth offers a long and persuasive list of specific changes in national and international policies that need to be made.”
—The New York Review of Books

“In his new book, James Gustave Speth offers a brief, lucid, illuminating guide to the causes of our parlous situation, why past efforts to address it have failed, and what changes would be necessary to head off disaster. Warning that the hour is late, Speth challenges the conventional approaches of reformers and the faith of free-market fundamentalists…Speth provides a crisp and convincing account.”
—The American Prospect

“Moviegoers who find themselves inspired to learn more [about global warming] will benefit from a new book called Red Sky at Morning by James Gustave Speth, dean of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale.”
—New York Times Editorial

“This beautifully conceived and executed book is a must read for anyone aspiring to insights into the human condition in the age of globalism.”
—OnEarth

“A remarkably clear, candid and courageous new book.”
—Environmental Affairs Law Review

“‘The Best’ – Red Sky at Morning [is] in the tradition of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.
—Sky Magazine

“Intelligent on thorny issues…and coruscating about fraudulent philosophies…which hold that environmental action should always be put off because it might impede the economic growth that will pay for the clean-up.”
—New Scientist

Speth “is well qualified to present a wake-up call on the environment in this thorough and reasoned book.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

“A profoundly sobering study, by an environmental advisor to Presidents Carter and Clinton, of the nation’s failure to address the probability of global warming both in the past, when there might have been time, and now, when there may not.”
—New York Times Book Review

Speth “sounds almost nostalgic for the days when the environmental crisis was all about aerosol sprays, factory smokestacks, and PCBs in the riverbed. Today, as he stresses, the crisis is global. …Forty years after Silent Spring, we may be facing a long, hot summer.”
—The New Yorker

“It would seem that Speth is especially qualified to step back and assess the state of the world environment and what should be done, maybe more so than anybody else in the U.S. In Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment, he does just that.”
—The Hartford Courant

“Gus Speth has as broad a resume as anyone in the environmental world ever has, or probably ever will. As a young lawyer just out of Yale, he joined with a few others to found the Natural Resources Defense Council in the early seventies. Jimmy Carter appointed him chair of the Council of Environmental Quality. He founded the World Resources Institute, ran the United Nations Development Programme, and now heads Yale’s acclaimed School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Red Sky at Morning (“sailor take warning”) is a summing-up and a look ahead from this war horse. Speth explains clearly and succinctly how and why most attempts at international environmental protection have failed (far too often because of America resistance). He also provides practical, feasible, necessary steps that can turn the situation around. He hopes the book will be widely read by young people. I hope it will be widely read by everybody.”
—Earthjustice

“This book, which takes its title from the sailor’s storm warning, alerts us to the global environmental catastrophe that may well strike in the next century. Author Gus Speth…commands respect from having spent much of his career deep in the belly of the whale…As Red Sky at Morning warns, unless present trends are soon slowed, our grandchildren and succeeding generations stand gravely threatened.”
—Environment

“James ‘Gus’ Speth could teach a lesson or two to disbelieving Yale grad George W. Bush. Or perhaps a freethinking staffer could slip Speth’s new book, Red Sky at Morning, onto the reading list for a Camp David or Crawford, Texas, weekend.”
—Seattle Post Intelligencer

“Speth’s Red Sky balances indignation with insight… It should be read by every citizen of the Earth.”
—The Hartford Advocate

“Speth proposes eight “transition” strategies to sustain the environment [and] recommends several steps that individuals can take.”
—New Haven Register

“If you want to know how you as a citizen can help make conservation happen, read the chapter on Resources for Citizens at the end of this valuable book.”
—Environmental Forum

“One of the finest environmental books of the past decade. Should be read by anyone concerned with human futures.”
—Peter Raven, director, Missouri Botanical Gardens; former president, American Association for the Advancement of Science

"An important contribution written by a person with a unique perspective on these issues. A blueprint for making progress in the future."
—Harold A. Mooney, Stanford University

"An extremely important and authoritative book. Gus Speth is one of the few people who has the credentials to integrate the scientific aspects of environmental decline with analysis of possible political solutions, and he does so brilliantly."
—Simon Levin, Princeton University, and author of Fragile Dominion

"A wide-ranging, powerful argument. This book has enormous credibility—it's the firsthand report of the American who's been closest to the front lines at one negotiation after another."
—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

"Red Sky is an excellent synthesis of the ideas of many environmentalists, environmental scientists, and political leaders who have worked on environmental issues. Gus Speth's principal point is that business-as-usual is not working. I couldn't agree more."
—Lester R. Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute

"A superb, authoritative guide to the state of the global environment, Red Sky at Morning warns of the urgent need for personal, political, and global action to ensure the future of natural systems and human survival. Gus Speth illustrates the magnitude of the challenge and also offers wide-ranging and innovative solutions."
—Frances Beinecke, Executive Director, Natural Resources Defense Council

"Red Sky at Morning is an environmental tour de force—a penetrating look at why efforts to halt environmental degradation have failed and a compelling vision for what we must do about it."
—Kathryn S. Fuller, President & CEO, World Wildlife Fund

"In Red Sky at Morning, Gus Speth pulls no punches. He shows exactly why and how our international institutions are not up to the task: global environmental deterioration is outpacing the speed at which we are making the necessary transition to sustainability. Speth spells out what each of us needs to do—and quickly!"
—Lawrence Susskind, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, MIT

"Gus Speth has played a leading role on the environmental stage for over thirty years. Drawing from his remarkable range of experiences, he provides in Red Sky at Morning an insightful, balanced, and well-crafted assessment of global environmental challenges. If you're looking for the best concise, user-friendly treatment of international environmental policy on the market, if you want to understand how we got to our present state and what the future may hold, then read this book."
—Professor James Salzman, Emalee C. Godsey Scholar, Washington College of Law, American University

"Gus Speth, one of America's greatest defenders of the environment, has written a succinct, complete and lucid description of the ecological abyss ahead. He doesn't stop at the rim but describes the bridge across in equally compelling terms."
—Paul Hawken, author of Ecology of Commerce, Natural Capitalism