Surviving the Apocalypse: Understanding and Fighting Through the Coming Emergency (27)

by Thomas F. Pawlick

Almost daily scientists are sounding dire warnings about the effects of climate change. Our young will bear an unprecedented burden. They are eager to discover what can be done, as time slips away. But few of them – or us – are aware that global warming is but one facet of a looming planetary catastrophe. Most of the natural and social systems humans depend on for survival are also in various stages of collapse. Each failure will impact the other systems, including climate, in a series of feedback loops that can unleash a virtual tsunami of destruction, and do so far sooner than climate scientists, looking only at their own discipline, predict. The corona virus pandemic has shown how unprepared we are. Multiply its effects times 10, times 50, to get an idea of what’s coming. We have entered what scientists term a “critical state,” at the brink of an unstable precipice. The smallest push or pull, from any direction, could suddenly topple us. Despite the global scale of the emergency, its root causes are predominantly human and surprisingly simple. With courage to act, we can slow the devastating cascade and, perhaps, even reverse some of the worst impacts.

390 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

Thomas F. Pawlick has more than thirty-five years of experience as a journalist and editor, specializing in science, environmental, and agricultural reporting. He is a three-time winner of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association National Journalism Award and has won the National Magazine Award for agricultural reporting. He lives on a 150-acre farm in eastern Ontario.

Reviews

[Joanne Diemert · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you weren’t already worried about the state of the Earth, upon finishing this novel you will be painfully aware of the plethora of issues humankind faces. Extremely well researched, written and -- sometimes comically -- communicated, Pawlick outlines four crucial systems of our society: anti-biotic resistant bacteria, agricultural and food, economical and debt crises, and climate change. Each topic describes a brief history of the system and its origins, the various impacts that system has on other countries, and facts about each system from scientific, peer-reviewed sources. Throughout the novel Pawlick stresses that not only are each of these systems extremely fragile and important to modern society, but they all are intimately connected. This easy to read (but may be hard to digest), layperson friendly book is recommended to individuals wishing to expand their knowledge on the modern-day global issues humankind faces.