A Plague of People
5/5
()
About this ebook
There are great threats to modern civilisation, which are now becoming evident. Past forecasts suggesting a global collapse around 2030 are proving robust. This book follows the development of understanding of the global predicament, building on a considerable body of research, to conclude that the collapse is now inevitable and that there has been, and will continue to be, an absence of preventative action. The subject is extremely important and of wide interest.
The topic of the future of civilisation requires consideration of many subjects, of a number of interacting trends. A considerable body of information, from many sciences, many scholars and many collective enterprises, provides a description of the overshoot of global capacity, and a forecast of the collapse of modern civilisation. The major question has been whether mankind would change and avoid the catastrophe. Consideration of human behaviour, culture, political systems and social control explains why there has been no adequate response for the past forty years and why the destructive pattern will continue. Similarly, an analysis of long waves (Kondratieff cycles) in economies includes reference to the denial of any such fundamental instability by mainstream economics.
The scope of the discussion is comprehensive, covering the interaction between many key issues such as overpopulation and climate change, resource shortages (including water, food and oil), with input ranging from computer models to the history of mankind. Dr Robinson has dealt with every question raised by the global picture, including the power of corporate fascism (the oligarchy or one-percent) in a controlled consumer society.
This description will interest those with growing concerns among the general population, the many in voluntary organisations who desire a better understanding of a troubled world, and schools and tertiary institutions whose task is to educate the new generation in an understanding of the complex world.
The challenge facing us all as humanity fills every ecological niche on earth demands a fundamental change, of political and economic organisation, as well as individual values – a global revolution. There have been a number of books dealing with such concerns, many of which are discussed here. The great majority fail to face the need for a significant change of culture, a paradigm shift, and thus conclude with hopes that the system that is the very cause of the challenge (including capitalism with its dependency on growth) can be tidied up, or that a universal acceptance of a beneficial religion or community effort can save the day without any challenge to the now dominant oligarchy. This book stands out for its brutal honesty and refusal of unrealistic hopes. It tells the true story of failure rather than presenting any unrealistic hope. The next generation will be best served by a robust presentation of a distressing situation, and this is a story of that coming collapse based on an extensive scientific analysis. The challenges ahead are best faced with clear understanding with our heads fearlessly held up, out of the sand.
John Robinson
Dr John Robinson was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1940. He has a BSc and masters degrees in mathematics (MSc) and physics (DipHons) from the University of Auckland and a doctorate (PhD) from MIT. He has lectured at several universities and worked as a research scientist – initially applying mathematics to physical problems, before moving to wide-ranging interdisciplinary studies for international organizations, combining information from global models with historical accounts and inappropriate cultural continuity at times of great stress. While at Applied Mathematics Division of the DSIR in 1974 he began a career in futures research. Subsequent wide-ranging interdisciplinary work has included contract work for DSIR, OECD, UNESCO, UNEP, UNU, the New Zealand Commission for the Future and the USA Foundation for the Future as well as contacts with the Club of Rome. Despite the lack of official interest in an overview of global developments and the challenge to the growth model in New Zealand since 1984, John has continued his research. His analysis of long waves in capitalist economies (Excess capital, 1989) forecast the current depression and he has described the New Zealand situation during the coming global crisis on in NZ 2030, the world's lifeboat (2009). Since 1986 another part of his work has concerned Maori socio-economic issues. The considerable change of culture of Maori society when over three millennia of separate Polynesian culture ended with the coming of Europeans provided an example of the problems of a comprehensive culture change (or paradigm shift), as would be required if modern global society were to survive in a overpopulated and overstressed world. In each case a completely new situation arose. In each case the old culture persisted during a period of considerable disruption – now moving to a storm peak for global civilisation. John has published scientific articles in international journals, written many reports on global issues, edited a couple of books and written several books: Excess capital (1989, Technology Monitoring Associates, $25), Rebuilding New Zealand (1994, Technology Monitoring Associates, $15), Destroying New Zealand (1996, Technology Monitoring Associates, $15), New Zealand 2030, the world's lifeboat (2009, Island Bay World Service), Cars at the end of an era, transport issues in the New Zealand greenhouse (2011, Friends of the Earth NZ, $20), The corruption of New Zeala...
Related to A Plague of People
Related ebooks
A User's Guide to the Crisis of Civilization: And How to Save It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Science: Analysing Climate Change Scepticism in the Uk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5NWO: Bilderberg Conspiracy and the Future of the West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHumanity's Last Stand: Confronting Global Catastrophe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCLIMATE CHANGE WAR!: Twenty-One Climate Change Denials of Environmentalists Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Arrogant Nation That Creates Its Own Reality:: The Impact of Christianity on American Society Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNational Security Through a Cockeyed Lens: How Cognitive Bias Impacts U.S. Foreign Policy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHouse of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia by Craig Unger | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaving America from the Democrats and Republicans: How to Elect an Independent President, and Why We Need One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVirus: The Wake-Up Call Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Putting People Back in Politics: A Manual for the Disgruntled Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCOVID-19: A Devil's Choice: How We Got Here. How We'll Get Out Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Greatest Hoax of the 21St Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFighting For Our Lives: The history of a community response to AIDS Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnvironmental Politics and Policy in the West, Third Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe American Trajectory: Divine or Demonic? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Epidemic of Rumors: How Stories Shape Our Perception of Disease Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Monsanto Papers: Corruption of Science and Grievous Harm to Public Health Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Politics of ‘Fait Accompli’ and the ‘New World Order’: (On How to Create a Subservient Society) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOur Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Jim Marrs's Population Control Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExtinction: Evolution and the End of Man Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Myth of Voter Fraud Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death in the Marsh Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summary of Traffic by Ben Smith: Genius, Rivalry,and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Wealth Rules the World: Saving Our Communities and Freedoms from the Dictatorship of Property Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Social Science For You
Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All About Love: New Visions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Secret Garden: Women's Sexual Fantasies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Men Explain Things to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Close Encounters with Addiction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Plague of People
1 rating0 reviews