Global Catastrophes and Trends

Book excerpt: In this book, the author takes a wide-ranging interdisciplinary look at the catastrophes and trends the next fifty years may bring. The author looks at rare but cataclysmic events, both natural and human-produced, then at trends of global importance: the transition from fossil fuels to other energy sources; demographic and political shifts in Europe, Japan, Russia, China, the United States, and Islamic nations; the battle for global primacy; and growing economic and social inequality. He also considers environmental change and assesses the often misunderstood complexities of global warming.