Overview

What kind of trouble lies ahead? How can we successfully transition towards a sustainable future? Drawing on a remarkably broad range of insights from complex systems and the functioning of the brain to the history of civilizations and the workings of modern societies, the distinguished scientist Marten Scheffer addresses these key questions of our times. He looks to the past to show how societies have tipped out of trouble before, the mechanisms that drive social transformations and the invisible hands holding us back. He traces how long-standing practices such as the slave trade and foot-binding were suddenly abandoned and how entire civilizations have collapsed to make way for something new. Could we be heading for a similarly dramatic change? Marten Scheffer argues that a dark future is plausible but not yet inevitable and he provides us instead with a hopeful roadmap to steer ourselves away from collapse-and toward renewal.

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9781009699754

Table of Contents

Reviews

'In approachable writing, as over coffee with a friend, this book uses recent science and deep knowledge to show the ways out of current global crises.' Stephen R. Carpenter, winner of the Blue Planet Prize 'This page turner makes a convincing case of how the widely perceived values of nature could now well become key drivers of long-needed change. I couldn't stop reading.' Gretchen Daily, author of The New Economy of Nature and winner of the Volvo Environment Prize 'Some find the possibility of a bright planetary future naive. This book proves them wrong. Marten Scheffer takes us on an exciting journey with hope, not wishful thinking, but with numerous insights into the significance of agency and collective action throughout human history and civilizations, and by seeing the future as open rather than pre-determined. Tipping Out of Trouble is simply a brilliant book! A must read for anyone and everyone interested and engaged with the future of humankind in our beautiful biosphere.' Carl Folke, founder of the Stockholm Resilience Center 'Scheffer brings a lifetime of study of complex systems to our knottiest problems, such as climate destabilization, biodiversity loss, and erosion of democracy. The result is a timely, fascinating, and accessible study of how societies have plunged into crises and occasionally climbed out again.' John McNeill, author of Something New under the Sun: An Environmental History of the World since 1900 'In this eye-opening book, Marten Scheffer shows that the 'good Anthropocene' is within our reach, but that it will require bold collective action and massive wealth redistribution. A must-read.' Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century 'We often speak of tipping points with fear, as signals of collapse or crisis. But as this book reminds us, their true power lies in their potential to transform systems for the better. Marten Scheffer helps us understand how this change happens and how we can harness positive tipping points to shift our trajectory toward a more just and sustainable future.' Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and co-author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take 'Scheffer is no stranger to the worst that climate change may bring — his renown work has brought urgency and alarm to world's scientific understanding. And yet here he offers cause for hope, in a novel text that recognizes the complex and interwoven social and political forces shaping our reaction to global change and points to the tipping points that lead to a positive outcome to this crisis.' Abrahm Lustgarten, author of On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America

'In approachable writing, as over coffee with a friend, this book uses recent science and deep knowledge to show the ways out of current global crises.' Stephen R. Carpenter, winner of the Blue Planet Prize 'This page turner makes a convincing case of how the widely perceived values of nature could now well become key drivers of long-needed change. I couldn't stop reading.' Gretchen Daily, author of The New Economy of Nature and winner of the Volvo Environment Prize 'Some find the possibility of a bright planetary future naive. This book proves them wrong. Marten Scheffer takes us on an exciting journey with hope, not wishful thinking, but with numerous insights into the significance of agency and collective action throughout human history and civilizations, and by seeing the future as open rather than pre-determined. Tipping Out of Trouble is simply a brilliant book! A must read for anyone and everyone interested and engaged with the future of humankind in our beautiful biosphere.' Carl Folke, founder of the Stockholm Resilience Center 'Scheffer brings a lifetime of study of complex systems to our knottiest problems, such as climate destabilization, biodiversity loss, and erosion of democracy. The result is a timely, fascinating, and accessible study of how societies have plunged into crises and occasionally climbed out again.' John McNeill, author of Something New under the Sun: An Environmental History of the World since 1900 'In this eye-opening book, Marten Scheffer shows that the 'good Anthropocene' is within our reach, but that it will require bold collective action and massive wealth redistribution. A must-read.' Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century 'We often speak of tipping points with fear, as signals of collapse or crisis. But as this book reminds us, their true power lies in their potential to transform systems for the better. Marten Scheffer helps us understand how this change happens and how we can harness positive tipping points to shift our trajectory toward a more just and sustainable future.' Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and co-author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take

Author Information

Marten Scheffer is a distinguished professor at Wageningen University and an expert on stability of complex systems ranging from the climate and the brain to societies and ecosystems. His work is highly cited and he is associated to the Dutch as well as the US academies of sciences.

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