It's time to stop just worrying about climate change,
says Paul Gilding. Instead we need to brace for impact,
because global crisis is no longer avoidable. The 'Great
Disruption' started in 2008, with spiking food and oil
prices and dramatic ecological change like the melting
polar icecap. It is not simply about fossil fuels and
carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic
Growth, Version 1.0, a world economy based on
consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means
of our planet's ecosystems and resources. The Great
Disruption offers a stark and unflinching look at the
challenge humanity faces - yet also a deeply optimistic
message. The coming decades will see loss, suffering and
conflict as our planetary overdraft is paid. However,
they will also bring out the best humanity can offer:
compassion, innovation, resilience and adaptability.
Gilding tells us how to fight, and win, what he calls
'the One Degree War' to prevent catastrophic warming of
the earth, and how to start today. The crisis we are in
represents a rare chance to replace our addiction to
growth with an ethic of sustainability, and it's already
happening.It's also an unmatched business opportunity:
old industries will collapse while new companies
literally reshape our economy. In the aftermath of the
Great Disruption, we will measure 'growth' in a new way.
It will mean not quantity of stuff, but quality, and
happiness, of life. And, yes, there is life after
shopping. The Great Disruption is an invigorating and
well-informed polemic by an advocate for sustainability
and climate change who has dedicated his life to
campaigning for a balanced use of Earth's limited
resources. It is essential reading. |
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