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There is nothing more
difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain
in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order
of things.
- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
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Welcome to our Main PageFrom the evidence of scientists, philosophers, and the reports we all hear, see, and read about in the media, the future of humanity is in doubt. A central problem is overpopulation, coupled with a large and growing per capita environmental impact. Another inescapable conclusion is that the current structure of industrialized society is incompatible with human survival. Click here to read a short new June 2008 assessment by Richard Heinberg of our challenges as well as Peter Salonius' May '08 essay about our 10,000 year mistake. Fortunately, a great deal of work has been done identifying what is wrong, how it came to be, and what we might do to avoid participating in the Sixth Great Extinction Spasm (as E. O. Wilson calls it), initiated by humanity in the last couple of centuries. Many authors offer hope for and many visions of a sustainable future with greatly improved quality of life for nearly everyone. This site spotlights two books and a sprinkling of other writings that address these issues head on. The first book is an original textbook and the second is a collection of essays by prominent environmental writers from Aldo Leopold to Thomas Berry and Daniel Quinn. For more detailed information about the books, including the first chapter in each one, see www.sunpinepress.com. This site also provides additional information, supplementing the books and providing additional details. Click here for Dr. McCluney's 2006 essay on "What Our Leaders And The Media Are Not Telling Us" and here for his article on "Renewable Energy Limits" excerpted from The Final Energy Crisis edited by Andrew McKillop and Sheila Newman. Click here for a new report on Great Transitions, describing the opportunities and possible cosequences for humanity of the great transition we have recently begun. Finally, multiple Pulitzer Prize winning NYT journalist Thomas Friedman has published, Summer 2008, a hot new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, that synthesizes much of the above information, takes it further, and offers practical conclusions about what we need to do to reverse the terrible trends. He offers a strategy for the U.S. to retake its former leadership role on the world stage, save itself, and renew civilization onto a sustainable path. Here's the transcript of his September 2008 interview on Meet the Press. Click below for Dr. McCluney's slide shows on "Justifications for Energy-Saving Technology" The books: Humanity's Environmental Future: Making Sense in a Troubled World (HEF) Getting to the Source: Readings on Sustainable Values (GTS) by Ross McCluney, Ph. D., SunPine
Press:Cape Canaveral, 2004 Where on Earth are we going?
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