Planet Aqua: Rethinking Our Home in the Universe

by Jeremy Rifkin

What would happen if we were to awaken one day and suddenly realize that the world we live in appeared eerily alien, as if we’d been teleported to some other distant world? That frightening prospect is now. Our planetary hydrosphere, which animates all of life on Earth, is rebelling in the wake of a global warming climate, spurring biblical spring floods, devastating summer droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires and powerful autumn hurricanes and typhoons, wreaking havoc on ecosystems and society.

For too long we have misjudged the very nature of our existence and to what we owe our lifeline. We have come to believe that we live on a land planet when the reality is that we live on a water planet, and now the Earth’s hydrosphere is rewilding in the throes of a changing climate, taking our species and our fellow creatures into a mass extinction event as it searches for a new equilibrium.

Jeremy Rifkin calls on us to rethink our place in the universe and realize that we live on Planet Aqua. He takes us on a new journey into the future where we will need to reassess every aspect of the way we live – how we engage nature, govern society, conceptualize economic life, educate our children, and even orient ourselves in time and space. The next stage in the human journey is to rebrand our home Planet Aqua and learn how to readapt to the waters of life.

Underpinned by robust research, this major new work by one of the world’s leading public intellectuals aims to redefine the very core of our existence on Planet Aqua.

Genres: Nonfiction

360 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2024

About the author

American economic and social theorist, writer, public speaker, political advisor, and activist.

Reviews

[fem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessant boek over de invloed van (het controleren van) water op het ontstaan van de huidige maatschappij. Inclusief goeie filosofische discussies. Wel erg van de hak op de tak en heel apocalyptisch (maar who knows, misschien wel reëel). Zorgde voor leuke discussies bij de boekenclub.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative book, using the central viewpoint of water as a universal resource and necessity for life on the planet. Different from other books which focus on carbon and this change was enlightening for me. However Rifkin often would take a detour in the narrative and take a deep dive on some side topics. Some of these didn't seem pertinent although interesting on their own. This was done so often that it felt like the book was deliberately padded to increase the length. Nonetheless, I appreciated the factual material and many examples from around the world. He definitely made clear which parts of the world were more endangered than others.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book deeply frustrating. I had the feeling the author was more interested in showing the depth of the his vocabulary or breath of his knowledge/research than trying to inform or establish any sort of reasonable argument. Many chapters seem little more than a themed group of facts, while others disappear behind philosophy-speak. Technology is praised when it suites him, but cursed otherwise. Statistics often miss context. Reading it felt like unnecessarily hard work and I nearly abandoned it. Is the author smart? Probably. Is there an interesting idea in here? Yes (seeing the earth as a water planet). Is it nice to read. No.

[Tim Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content was excellent and would have deserved a 4 or 5. The problems discussed are very real.

The assumption that a new system of governance will magically appear seems more like wishful thinking.

But he loses 2 full stars for tendentious writing, consistent run on sentences, and tone reminiscent of bad government briefing. This was not an easy read.

[Jeffrey Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rifkin is ALWAYS worth reading for his insight into current and future trends.

[Jasper Marynczak]

Not for the faint of heart. A soul crushing cry to change our water infrastructure and protect natural bodies of water. A pessimistic sputter for rifkin though informational and intriguing.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately uses Genesis, from the Bible, as how the Earth was created. I stopped at that point.