 First edition | |
| Author | Newt Gingrich and Terry L. Maple |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | 2007 (Johns Hopkins University Press) |
| Pages | 256 pages |
| ISBN | 978-0-8018-8780-2 |
| Preceded by | Rediscovering God in America |
| Followed by | Real Change: From the World That Fails to the World That Works |
A Contract with the Earth is a book by Newt Gingrich and Terry L. Maple, with a foreword by E. O. Wilson. [1] Its title is derived from a 10-point "contract" the authors put forward in the book. [2]
A Contract with the Earth is, broadly, a manifesto that challenges those on the right to provide a strategy for repairing the planet [3] and calls on government to embrace the concept that a healthy environment is required for a healthy democracy and economy. [3] This approach, alternately branded mainstream and entrepreneurial environmentalism by the authors, [4] requires that companies should lead the way in environmental issues while governments provide them with incentives to reduce their carbon footprint. [3]
With its 10 "commandments", A Contract with the Earth calls for politicians to abandon adversarial politics and for business and conservationists to form compatible partnerships. In one of the book's themes, Gingrich and Maple argue that environmental efforts shouldn't be exclusive to one political philosophy and reject the idea that free enterprise and a cleaner world are opposing forces. [4]
The book generated a storm of media attention in late 2007 and early 2008 as the U.S. presidential campaign began to heat up. Gingrich in particular made numerous media appearances arguing that the Republican Party was losing popular support because their response to environmental policy was simply, as he put it, "NO!" Maple toured the country as Gingrich's stand-in, most notably before the Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP, www.repamerica.org) during their annual meeting (at which John McCain was endorsed as the most "green" of the Republican presidential candidates). In 2008 Gingrich published another book that advocated oil drilling, Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, and many pundits called his environmental commitment into question. However, this book's fifth chapter provided an argument for environmental protection. Like many aspects of Gingrich's career, his interest in environmental issues has generated controversy.
The book, whose title is similar to Gingrich's co-authored book Contract with America , [4] criticizes the Democratic Party's legislation and litigation on environmental protection issues. [4]
Gingrich has been described by Katharine Mieszkowski as a "green conservative." [3] He is the former Speaker of House of Representatives, and Maple is president and CEO of the Palm Beach Zoo and professor of conservation and behavior at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Wilson is a prize-winning conservation biologist and author.
Newton Leroy Gingrich is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for Georgia's 6th congressional district serving north Atlanta and nearby areas from 1979 until his resignation in 1999. In 2012, Gingrich unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States.
Gaylord Anton Nelson was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launched a new wave of environmental activism.
Frank Ian Luntz is an American political and communications consultant, pollster, and pundit, best known for developing talking points and other messaging for Republican causes. His work has included assistance with messaging for Newt Gingrich's Contract with America, and public relations support for pro-Israel policies in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He advocated use of vocabulary crafted to produce a desired effect; including use of the term death tax instead of estate tax, and climate change instead of global warming.
Katharine Mieszkowski is an American journalist.
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The 2012 United States presidential election in Iowa took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Iowa voters chose six electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.
The 2012 presidential campaign of Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Representative from Georgia and Speaker of the House, began shortly following the 2010 midterm elections. He was politically active during the midterm elections, and helped several Tea Party-backed Republicans with his endorsements and fundraising abilities.
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