Victim of Success
Civilization at Risk
by
Peter McManners
ISBN: 9780955736919
“Victim of Success should be compulsory reading for all people with influence on the future direction of society, from world leaders and policy makers to teachers and voters. The time has come to support real change.”
Sir David King,
Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment
University of Oxford
“It is crucial for civilisation to re-chart its course away from the imminent 'cliff edge of collapse', as Peter McManners graphically portrays in this eye-opening book.”
“I hope this challenging work by Peter McManners makes your heart beat a little faster, as you join the same journey of thought.”
Nigel Winser
Executive Vice President
Earthwatch Institute
“I remain optimistic because I know that when people really understand the risks we are taking on behalf of the next generation, they will be willing to enter crisis mode. The current set of proposals, being worked on for the climate summit in Copenhagen in December 2009, is not enough. A deal will be agreed, but it will then stifle the debate for the next decade.
By then, climate change will be hitting many countries hard, the world population will still be expanding and natural habitats will have been destroyed. We will stop, think, and try again to come up with another blueprint for the planet, but by then the problems will be much more intractable.
This book is not the blueprint to save the world. It is a call to action, a plea to open our eyes to reality and an indication of the nature of a new direction for society. The time for complacency and reassuring optimism is long past. Civilization is at risk and it is up to this generation of world leaders to take steps to protect it.”
Peter McManners
About the author:
Peter McManners's first book, Adapt and Thrive, was published in 2008 while he was living in Finland. The Finnish newspaper Etela-Suomen Sanomat said 'Governments and businesses who are currently unable to see beyond the current political term/share price will oppose this book, but in twenty years they will be quoting it as the “Bible for Survival”...'
Victim of Success, published this October, is his second book. It will be followed by his third, Green Outcomes in a Real World, to be published by Gower Books in May 2010.
Peter McManners writes a monthly column for Sustainable Business magazine, and a weekly blog at www.petermcmanners.com
More about the author click here
Victim of Success is published on 19th October 2009, ISBN: 9780955736919, rrp £17.99.
For more information, or to interview the author, please contact Susta Press:
helen.harris@susta.co.uk or peter.mason@susta.co.uk, Tel: 0118 9767679
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
PART 1 OUR SUCCESS
Chapter 1: One Earth, One Chance
Chapter 2: Survival
Chapter 3: The Selfishness of Human Nature
Chapter 4: Choices
Chapter 5: Breaking the Stalemate
Chapter 6: Climate Change Hits Home
Chapter 7: The Boom before the Bust
Chapter 8: Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel
Chapter 9: The Collapse of Civilization
PART 2 CHANGING DIRECTION
Chapter 10: Altering the Future
Chapter 11: Show Respect for the Earth
Chapter 12: Stop Breeding
Chapter 13: The Three-Way Balancing Act
Chapter 14: Plan to Ban Fossil Fuel
Chapter 15: Melting the Wings of Icarus
Chapter 16: Cities for People
Chapter 17: Harness the Power of Community
Chapter 18: No Compromise over Food
Chapter 19: Rescue Poseidon
Chapter 20: Support Real Change
PART 3 THE FUTURE
Chapter 21: Living Sustainably
Chapter 22: Fight for the Future
Chapter 23: My Generation: Villains or Heroes?
Epilogue
Notes
Index