Why Life Matters

Michael Tobias and Jane Gray Morrison, partners who between them have authored some 50 books and written, directed and produced some 170 films, a prolific body of work that has been read, translated and/or broadcast around the world, have been married for more than a quarter-of-a-century. Their field research across the disciplines of comparative literature, anthropology, the history of science and philosophy, ecology and ethics, in over 80 countries, has served as a telling example of what two people – deeply in love with one another – can accomplish in spreading that same unconditional love to others – of all species.

From the book reviews: "Why Life Matters is an incredibly eclectic and outstanding book ... and an easy read. ... I highly recommend them for a broad audience who is interested in human and animal behavior and detailed and credible discussions of many timely topics that are presented in a style so that non-experts can understand them. I also highly recommend them for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in which open discussion is encouraged and appreciated." (Marc Bekoff, psychologytoday.com, November, 2014)

• Part One: Nature & Human Economics.- 1) “Technology, Business and Nature: An Economic Primer on Winners and Losers”.- 2) “Women, Wall Street and Mitigating Climate Change: The Critical Importance of WOCAN”.- 3) “The New Business of Business: Evolution of Culture and the Survival of Humankind”.-4) “Wall Street After Rio: A Discussion With Calvert Investments’ Senior Sustainability Research Analyst, Ms. Ellen Kennedy".- 5) “Investing in the End-Game: An Earth Day Post-Mortem”.- 6) “Just When You Thought You Could Bank On It”.- Part Two: The Carbon-Negative Ideal.- 7) “Super Grid”.- 8) “Ecuador’s Imperiled Paradise: One of the World’s Most Important, If Least Known Battles – A Conversation with Dr. Ivonne Baki”.- 9) “Native American Tribes Get a Seat at the Climate Table”.- 10) “Climate Shock: UC-Berkeley Scientist Dr. John Harte Puts the World On Notice”.- Part Three: Human Health and a Living Earth.- 11) “Occupy Your Diet: A Discussion About Food, Health and Kindness With Dr. Neal Barnard".- 12) “Eating You Alive: Environmental Cancer”.- 13) Food That Might Protect Your Brain and Save Your Life: A Discussion About the Ecology of Alzheimers With Dr. Neal Barnard”.- 14) “Biological Shock-Treatment: A Discussion With ‘Deadly Monopolies’ Author Harriet A. Washington”.- 15) “Bioeconomics: A New National Blueprint”.- Part Four: Ecology and the Human Population Explosion.- 16) “Six Billion or Fifteen Billion People: A Discussion With Environmental Scientist Leon Kolankiewicz”.- 17) “A King’s Speech That Could Help Save The World: A Discussion With UC-Berkeley’s Dr. Malcolm Potts”.- 18) “Planet Under Siege: Family Planning Critics Soon to See Global Population Reach 7,000,000,000”.- 19) “China’s Demographic and Ecological Conundrum”.- Part Five: Ecological Heroes.- 20) “One Woman’s Remarkable Quest to Save Africa’s White Lion”.-21) “A Discussion With UNOPS Luminary Ms. Maria-Noel Vaeza”.- 22) “Down To Earth: The World According to Ted Turner”.- 23) “How the Life of a Chipmunk in Michigan Came to Save Elephants and a Million Acres in Cambodia”.- 24) “Helen Clark: UNDP’s Pragmatic Visionary”.- 25) “A Jain Leader Addresses the World”.- 26) “A Discussion With Jane Goodall”.- Part Six: The State of the World.- 27) “China Declares Global State of Emergency: An Urgent Telegram from Taihu”.- 28) “Japan’s Tragedy: Global Ecological Uncertainty”.- 29) “Before the Fall: Syria’s Ecosystems”.- 30) “Sir Simon Jenkins, England’s National Trust, and the Future of Conservation in Great Britain”.- 31) “Extinction: Poachers Test the Right to Life”.- Part Seven: Animal Rights.- 32) “Compassionate Conservation: A Discussion From the Frontlines with Dr. Marc Bekoff”.- 33) “Animal Rights in China”.- 35) “Why Insects Sing: A Discussion With David Rothenberg”.- 36) “Protecting Bambi With Drones: PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk on Hunters, Horsemeat and More”.- Part Eight: Why Your Neighbor Is Important: New Strategies for a Bright Future.- 37) “The Heart of Education: A Discussion With Zoe Weil”.- 38) “Journey to the Center of the World: An Interview With Dr. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian".- 39) “How A Single National Park Might Help Transform a Nation: Haiti’s Pic Macaya”.- 40) “Conservation International: Stemming the Tide of Environmental Crises”.- 41) “The Future of Life on Earth”.- 42) “On Parrots, Eagles and Fighting Species Extinction”.- Part Nine: Ecological Paradise?.- 43) “An Ecological Paradise in Southern India: A Discussion About the Todas With Dr. Tarun Chhabra”.- 44) “J. P. Morgan, Edward Curtis and Christopher Cardozo: An Inspired Collaboration”.- 45) “A New Natural History Blueprint for Universities: A Discussion With Graham Arader”.- 46) “God’s Country: TheNew Zealand Factor”.- 47) “New Territories: Artist Astrid Preston Celebrates the Earth in a Landmark Nature Exhibition”.- 48) “Lenin Moreno 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Reflects on Human Welfare and the Rights of Nature”.- 49) “Nigel Brown: A New Zealand Original”.- 50) “The Last Shangri-la? A Conversation With Bhutan’s Secretary of the National Environment Commission, Dr. Ugyen Tshewang”. 51) Afterword: "A Paris Declaration on Climate Change: Humanity's Last Chance for Meaningful Action to Combat Irreversible Global Biological Disaster".