Bob Brown’s latest book,  Defiance, is a salubrious breath of a tall peppermint native forest. It’s not a hard book, but rather only hard to heed for some.

Defiance — we learn — is contagious. In the face of accelerating subsidised consumption of Mother Earth’s biotic and abiotic resources, bold action is the answer.

“Avoid anxiousness or the plunderers wins,” Brown cautions. Moreover, he opines that good humour, entertainment and happiness are the tonic to cope with these challenging times.

Defiance is a book to read while en route to vote. And one day, we hope soon, the police will arrest the plunderers, not the defenders. “Green cops on the beat rather than cops that beat greens.”

At its very core, Defiance is a daring and bold account of resistance to oligarch-driven authority. Brown explains why taking action to defy the laws of those who exploit Mother Earth and its people, that are upholding the laws of Nature and human fair-dealing, is a necessity to safeguard Earth’s biosphere.

There are many inspiring stories, some personal and some historical, within this spirited read. Defiance pinpoints the culprit: materialism’s ultimate goal is the conversion of the wild world, which it considers “useless”, into a commercially exploited landscape. Materialism’s dream is of a virtual reality to replace the wild Earth which for so long has us in awe.

From the Franklin River to the Takayna campaigns, Brown has walked the talk for 50 years. He’s no stranger to defying authority nor unafraid of being imprisoned on behalf of the animals, the ocean and old-growth native forests.

“This planet’s remarkable diversity should not be taken away from future generations, they should have the chance to experience it in real life, not just through virtual reality.”

Earth’s life support systems are all flashing code red. Accelerating heat from combusting fossil fuels, wood pellets and palm oil are stoking an irate climate destroying biomes. Already,  19 iconic ecological communities across Australia and the Antarctic are collapsing.

At a time when leadership for the natural world is obligatory, Defiance recommends that Australia set up a global eco-rescue service that responds to an oil spill, fire, exotic insect outbreak or whale stranding. It would also monitor Earth System and provide a guardrail to shake off corporate control.

The ace in the Australian hole is people power. The fact is that we, the Mother Earth-loving people, outnumber the oligarchs, plunderers and lackies by many country miles. Nonviolent action, we are reminded, is twice as successful than violence, it works in one-third the amount of time and incurs a fraction of the amount of the casualties of violent conflict.

We are in dire need of change: “As it is, if Earth were a rental property, we wouldn’t get our bond back.”

So, how do we turn this spaceship Earth around? Defiance advocates a world government. Global democracy is the intention because “saving Earth’s environment depends upon peace prevailing in human affairs and upon citizens, not corporations, having a main say in the future of life on Earth”.

Brown’s maxim is one that we can all embrace: “Don’t get depressed, get active!”

The “God of Growth” is yesterday. It’s high time to junk the GDP and instead replace it with a Mother Earth Living Economy with a Contentment Index that measures equality, housing, health and nutrition; the availability of freshwater, clean air, vibrant soils and a smorgasbord of insects; the well-being of Indigenous Peoples and women, along with a hale and hearty Earth System. These are imperative metrics of progress so that young people can live full lives.

The answer Brown tells us is optimism. We need to avert a global catastrophe. Intelligent, courageous, compassionate defiance are the keys to guaranteeing a liveable future. That means taking power from those who are rapidly degrading the planet.

Despite incarcerating activists using draconian laws by governments doing the bidding of corporate lobbyists, the planetary emergency is too great and the public is too alarmed. Many people are willing to go to jail rather than do nothing. A global shift is underway!

Don’t miss the chapter on “Egotists Rule the World”. It is, hands down, the best explanation of how mass media has co-opted our conscious mind and befuddled our instinct and intellect. Humanity is now at the mercy of data profiling, algorithms, advertising, seductive news censorship and AI. These factors have enabled the most scofflaw US president, Donald Trump, to spread disinformation and kneecap funding for: colleges, primary/secondary education, science, vaccines, medical care, climatology, toxicology, paleontology, diversity, hunger, poverty, disease, philanthropy (USAID) and zero-combustion technologies with impunity. Unpardonable.

The fact is that we are entering a new age of civil insurrection. Brown warns us that: “Showing humility to hubris, decency to demagoguery and reason to arrogance is a losing strategy.” Intellect and confrontational action are required — globally — as is peace and universal understanding.

What resonates the most for me along this noble quest for planetary life is the fun factor. Defiance recommends making time to celebrate (not worship) the Earth with songs, homemade food, community, dance, art and short stories.

Protecting the animals, the heartbeat of Mother Earth, is essential for our survival. We can realise this by being guided by need not greed, and doing unto others as we would like them to do to us.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.