Impeccably researched and masterfully written, this book explains
how and why humanity is driving itself off the cliff. -- Dahr Jamail,
author, The End of Ice
Weaving
together findings from a wide range of disciplines, Power
traces how four key elements developed to give humans extraordinary
power: tool making ability, language, social complexity, and the
ability to harness energy sources ― most significantly, fossil
fuels. It asks whether we have, at this point, overpowered natural
and social systems, and if we have, what we can do about it.
Has
Homo sapiens -- one species among millions -- become powerful
enough to threaten a mass extinction and disrupt the Earth's climate?
Why have we developed so many ways of oppressing one another? Can we
change our relationship with power to avert ecological catastrophe,
reduce social inequality, and stave off collapse?
These
questions -- and their answers -- will determine our fate.