Planet in Peril Planetary Dangers : Planetary Solutions

Humanity's Four Greatest Challenges and How We Can Overcome Them

Michael D. Bess

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2022
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• eBook ISBN:
  9781009184311
• Subtopic: Environment & Energy Policy
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Written by an award-winning historian of science and technology, Planet in Peril describes the top four mega-dangers facing humankind – climate change, nukes, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. It outlines the solutions that have been tried, and analyzes why they have thus far fallen short. These four existential dangers present a special kind of challenge that urgently requires planet-level responses, yet today's international institutions have so far failed to meet this need. The book lays out a realistic pathway for gradually modifying the United Nations over the coming century so that it can become more effective at coordinating global solutions to humanity's problems. Neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but pragmatic and constructive, the book explores how to move past ideological polarization and global political fragmentation. Unafraid to take intellectual risks, Planet in Peril sketches a plausible roadmap toward a safer, more democratic future for us all.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Contents
• List of Fictional Vignettes
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction
• Part I Existential Threats: The Four Most Pressing Dangers Facing Humankind
• Part II Strategies and Obstacles: The Solutions We Need, and What’s Preventing Them from Being Realized
• Part III Sensible Steps for Today’s World: Powerful Measures We Can Implement Right Away
• Part IV The Middle-Term Goal: New International Tools for the Late Twenty-First Century
• Part V The Long-Term Goal: Envisioning a Mature System of Global Governance for the Twenty-Second Century
• Endnotes
• Bibliography
• Index