Global Catastrophes And Trends

Fundamental Change Occurs Most Often In One Of Two Ways: As A Fatal Discontinuity, A Sudden Catastrophic Event That Is Potentially World Changing, Or As A Persistent, Gradual Trend. Global Catastrophes Include Volcanic Eruptions, Viral Pandemics, Wars, And Large-scale Terrorist Attacks; Trends Are Demographic, Environmental, Economic, And Political Shifts That Unfold Over Time. In This Provocative Book, Scientist Vaclav Smil Takes A Wide-ranging, Interdisciplinary Look At The Catastrophes And Trends The Next Fifty Years May Bring. Smil First Looks At Rare But Cataclysmic Events, Both Natural And Human-produced, Then At Trends Of Global Importance, Including The Transition From Fossil Fuels To Other Energy Sources And Growing Economic And Social Inequality. He Also Considers Environmental Change -- In Some Ways An Amalgam Of Sudden Discontinuities And Gradual Change -- And Assesses The Often Misunderstood Complexities Of Global Warming. Global Catastrophes And Trends Does Not Come Down On The Side Of Either Doom-and-gloom Scenarios Or Techno-euphoria. Instead, Smil Argues That Understanding Change Will Help Us Reverse Negative Trends And Minimize The Risk Of Catastrophe.