The Optimist's Telescope

The Optimist's Telescope PDF Author: Bina Venkataraman
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735219486
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
Named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR “How might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness? Bina Venkataraman, a former climate adviser to the Obama administration, brings a storyteller’s eye to this question. . . . She is also deeply informed about the relevant science.” —The New York Times Book Review A trailblazing exploration of how we can plan better for the future: our own, our families’, and our society’s. Instant gratification is the norm today—in our lives, our culture, our economy, and our politics. Many of us have forgotten (if we ever learned) how to make smart decisions for the long run. Whether it comes to our finances, our health, our communities, or our planet, it’s easy to avoid thinking ahead. The consequences of this immediacy are stark: Deadly outbreaks spread because leaders failed to act on early warning signs. Companies that fail to invest stagnate and fall behind. Hurricanes and wildfires turn deadly for communities that could have taken more precaution. Today more than ever, all of us need to know how we can make better long-term decisions in our lives, businesses, and society. Bina Venkataraman sees the way forward. A journalist and former adviser in the Obama White House, she helped communities and businesses prepare for climate change, and she learned firsthand why people don’t think ahead—and what can be done to change that. In The Optimist’s Telescope, she draws from stories she has reported around the world and new research in biology, psychology, and economics to explain how we can make decisions that benefit us over time. With examples from ancient Pompeii to modern-day Fukushima, she dispels the myth that human nature is impossibly reckless and highlights the surprising practices each of us can adopt in our own lives—and the ones we must fight for as a society. The result is a book brimming with the ideas and insights all of us need in order to forge a better future.

The Optimist's Telescope

The Optimist's Telescope PDF Author: Bina Venkataraman
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735219486
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Get Book Here

Book Description
Named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR “How might we mitigate losses caused by shortsightedness? Bina Venkataraman, a former climate adviser to the Obama administration, brings a storyteller’s eye to this question. . . . She is also deeply informed about the relevant science.” —The New York Times Book Review A trailblazing exploration of how we can plan better for the future: our own, our families’, and our society’s. Instant gratification is the norm today—in our lives, our culture, our economy, and our politics. Many of us have forgotten (if we ever learned) how to make smart decisions for the long run. Whether it comes to our finances, our health, our communities, or our planet, it’s easy to avoid thinking ahead. The consequences of this immediacy are stark: Deadly outbreaks spread because leaders failed to act on early warning signs. Companies that fail to invest stagnate and fall behind. Hurricanes and wildfires turn deadly for communities that could have taken more precaution. Today more than ever, all of us need to know how we can make better long-term decisions in our lives, businesses, and society. Bina Venkataraman sees the way forward. A journalist and former adviser in the Obama White House, she helped communities and businesses prepare for climate change, and she learned firsthand why people don’t think ahead—and what can be done to change that. In The Optimist’s Telescope, she draws from stories she has reported around the world and new research in biology, psychology, and economics to explain how we can make decisions that benefit us over time. With examples from ancient Pompeii to modern-day Fukushima, she dispels the myth that human nature is impossibly reckless and highlights the surprising practices each of us can adopt in our own lives—and the ones we must fight for as a society. The result is a book brimming with the ideas and insights all of us need in order to forge a better future.

Thinking Ahead in Science

Thinking Ahead in Science PDF Author: Willard J. Jacobson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description


Cities and Climate Change

Cities and Climate Change PDF Author: Harriet Bulkeley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135130124
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges facing the world today. It is also a critical issue for the world’s cities. Now home to over half the world’s population, urban areas are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions and are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Responding to climate change is a profound challenge. A variety of actors are involved in urban climate governance, with municipal governments, international organisations, and funding bodies pointing to cities as key arenas for response. This book provides the first critical introduction to these challenges, giving an overview of the science and policy of climate change at the global level and the emergence of climate change as an urban policy issue. It considers the challenges of governing climate change in the city in the context of the changing nature of urban politics, economics, society and infrastructures. It looks at how responses for mitigation and adaptation have emerged within the city, and the implications of climate change for social and environmental justice. Drawing on examples from cities in the north and south, and richly illustrated with detailed case-studies, this book will enable students to understand the potential and limits of addressing climate change at the urban level and to explore the consequences for our future cities. It will be essential reading for undergraduate students across the disciplines of geography, politics, sociology, urban studies, planning and science and technology studies.

Inevitable Surprises

Inevitable Surprises PDF Author: Peter Schwartz
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101216557
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
The world we live in today is more volatile than ever. The security of free nations is threatened by rogue states, the global economy is in flux, and the rapid advance of technology forces constant reevaluation of our society. With so many powerful forces at work and seemingly unpredictable events occurring, to many the future seems dark, and its possibilities frightening. Peter Schwartz disagrees. A world-renowned visionary in the field of scenario planning, Schwartz’s startling—and accurate— predictions have been employed by government agencies and major corporations for more than twenty-five years. He argues that the future is foreseeable, and that by examining the dynamics at work today we can predict the “inevitable surprises” of tomorrow. Timely and thought-provoking, Inevitable Surprises is a book that no one with an interest in business—or the future of our society—can afford to miss.

Thinking Ahead

Thinking Ahead PDF Author: Unesco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
UNESCO pub. Monograph on the medium term role and activities of UNESCO for 1977 to 1982 - discusses possible spheres of interest, such as the universal affirmation of human rights, peace research, economic and social development, science policy, educational policy, literacy and social participation, the environment, population problems, communication, information services, etc.

Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series

Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series PDF Author: Library of Congress. Copyright Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Copyright
Languages : en
Pages : 1400

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Book Description
The record of each copyright registration listed in the Catalog includes a description of the work copyrighted and data relating to the copyright claim (the name of the copyright claimant as given in the application for registration, the copyright date, the copyright registration number, etc.).

Thinking Ahead

Thinking Ahead PDF Author: Paul A. Wagner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475841027
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
This book addresses a very important aspect of teacher training, as well as the training of educational administrators, school counselors and other educational allied professionals, an aspect that is too often overlooked. That aspect is role modeling a deliberative mind. A deliberative mind is one filled with wonderment and eagerness to learn. We introduce educational professionals to systematic pondering and large-scale wonderment.

Looking Back to Think Ahead

Looking Back to Think Ahead PDF Author: R. K. Pachauri
Publisher: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
ISBN: 8185419345
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Looking Back To Think Ahead Maps And Quantifies The Extent Of Damage To India`S Environment And Natural Resource Base That Accompanied Economic Growth During The First 50 Years After India`S Independence (1947-97). Guided By A Distinguished Team Of Advisors, The Study Report-Both In Detailed And Abridged Versions-Advocates For A Paradigm Shifts So As To Create Positive Impacts On The Environment While Realizing Healthy Economic Growth Rates. This `Looking Back` Provided The Foundation Of The `Think Ahead` Component Of The Study (Disha (Directions, Innovations, And Strategies For Harnessing Action). The Publication-Disha For Sustainable Development-Presents `Business-As-Usual` And `Alternative` Policy Scenarios For The Period 1997-2047, And Offers Quantitative Projections For The State Of India`S Natural Resources And The Environment Under The Influence Of Such Policies.

Contemporary Futurist Thought

Contemporary Futurist Thought PDF Author: Thomas Lombardo
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1467805955
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 476

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Book Description
Contemporary Futurist Thought describes recent thinking about the future, dealing with both the hopes and the fears expressed in modern times concerning what potentially lies ahead. There are many such hopes and fears perhaps an overpowering number, competing with each other and swirling about in the collective mind of humanity. Psychologist and futurist Tom Lombardo describes this mental universe of inspiring dreams and threatening premonitions regarding the future. The book begins with an in-depth examination of the highly influential literary genre of science fiction, which Dr. Lombardo identifies as the mythology of the future. He next describes the modern academic discipline of future studies which attempts to apply scientific methods and principles to an understanding of the future. Social and technological trends in the twentieth century are then reviewed, setting the stage for an analysis of the great contemporary transformation occurring in our present world. Given the powerful and pervasive changes taking place across the globe and throughout all aspects of human life, the questions arise: Where are we potentially heading and, perhaps more importantly, where should we be heading? The final chapter provides an extensive review of different answers to these questions. Describing theories and approaches that highlight science, technology, culture, human psychology, and religion, among other areas of focus, as well as integrative views which attempt to provide big pictures of all aspects of human life, the book provides a rich and broad overview of contemporary ideas and visions about the future. In the conclusion, Dr. Lombardo assesses and synthesizes these myriad perspectives, proposing a set of key ideas central to understanding the future. This book completes the study of future consciousness begun in its companion volume, The Evolution of Future Consciousness. These two volumes, rich in historical detail and concise observations on the interrelatedness of a wide range of interdisciplinary topics, are a significant contribution to the field of future studies and a valuable resource for educators, consultants, and anyone wishing to explore the significance of thinking about the future.

Thinking about the Future

Thinking about the Future PDF Author: Hines Andy
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780996773409
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
Thinking about the Future distills the expertise of three dozen senior foresight professionals into a set of essential guidelines for carrying out successful strategic foresight. Presented in a highly scannable yet personable style, each guideline includes an explanation and rationale, key steps, a case example, and resources for further study.