Disrupted Balance

Human society is no stranger to catastrophe, but the challenges the world faces today — a ballooning population, intense global connectivity and the unquenchable thirst of human consumption — have synergised to make disruptions more frequent, intense and far reaching.

Despite the complexity of these problems, the response should not be to give up and surrender to these forces, the crash can be avoided. Humanity does possess the scientific, technological and social knowledge to not just survive, but also to emerge from the tumult by being more resilient and sustainable societies. The most urgent question, therefore, is how can we act on this knowledge.

This book brings together 12 esteemed authors from diverse fields ranging from geology to governance, who have come together to collectively issue a unifying clarion call to action.

Contents:ForewordIntroductionHunting Black Swans and Taming Black Elephants (Peter Ho)Gambling with Geohazards (Kerry Sieh)Nine Meals from Anarchy (Tim G Benton)Governance in a Time of Disruption (Seán Cleary)Threats Seen and Unseen (Shashi Jayakumar)Thinking the Unthinkable (Sheila Ronis)The Risks and Resilience of Cities (David Lallemant)Paradoxes and Paradigms in Parasitology (Daniel Brooks)Water: The Human Element (Alexander J B Zehnder)Sprawl at Risk (Roland Fletcher)Thinking the Unthinkable V2 (Nik Gowing)From Owners to Stewards (Andrew Sheng)Conclusions (Focus on the Future: A Call to Action)Acknowledgements
Readership: Researchers and policymakers grappling with the challenges of complexity in human society.
Global Connectivity;Governance;Virtual Threats;Risks Disruption00