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The Economist magazine has noted that optimism about the environment is considered “beyond the pale of respectable discourse.” Yet more experts and scientists are stepping forward to draw attention to the importance of understanding environmental progress as a prerequisite to setting intelligent priorities for the difficult problems that remain. Seymour Garte, a visiting professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health, argues in his new book, Where We Stand: A Surprising Look at the Real State of Our Planet (Amacom, September 2007), that excessive pessimism about the environment undermines good scientific investigation and distorts our understanding of important environmental challenges. Garte criticizes anti-technological biases prevalent among environmentalists, but he is also skeptical that market forces alone will suffice to support continued environmental progress. He is nonetheless guardedly optimistic that the creativity and adaptability of the human species will enable us to face and solve unexpected problems.

Mr. Garte will be joined by Nicholas Eberstadt, AEI’s Henry Wendt Scholar in Political Economy. AEI’s Steven F. Hayward, coauthor of the annual Index of Leading Environmental Indicators, will moderate.