Not long ago, the future seemed predictable. Now, certainty about the course of civilization has given way to fear and doubt. Raging fires, ravaging storms, political upheavals, financial collapse, and deadly pandemics lie ahead—or are already here. The world feels less comprehensible and more dangerous, and no one, from individuals to businesses and governments, knows how to navigate the path forward.
Ruth DeFries argues that a surprising set of time-tested strategies from the natural world can help humanity weather these crises. Through trial and error over the eons, life has evolved astonishing and counterintuitive tricks in order to survive. DeFries details how a handful of fundamental strategies—investments in diversity, redundancy over efficiency, self-correcting feedbacks, and decisions based on bottom-up knowledge—enable life to persist through unpredictable, sudden shocks. Lessons for supply chains from a leaf’s intricate network of veins and stock market-saving “circuit breakers” patterned on planetary cycles reveal the power of these approaches for modern life. With humility and willingness to apply nature’s experience to our human-constructed world, DeFries demonstrates, we can withstand uncertain and perilous times. Exploring the lessons that life on Earth can teach us about coping with complexity, What Would Nature Do? offers timely options for civilization to reorganize for a safe and prosperous future.
"Sturdy science applied to society’s biggest problems and good food for thought." - Kirkus
"A highly readable guide. An important book that identifies some of the limits of contemporary thinking." - Journal of Geography
"Positively packed with fascinating history, science and analysis. 'What Would Nature Do?’ is a fascinating and mind-expanding book that helps the reader see the world in a different way, with more interconnectivity and similarities across fields of inquiry and scales of existence than before. Read it-you won’t regret it!" - The Weekly Anthropocene
"This thought-provoking book packs at least 20 different disciplines into a satisfying exploration of the myriad ways the natural world contends with existential challenges that threaten equilibrium. . . . Extensive footnotes plus at least 375 references and a detailed index make this text equally useful for a first-year liberal arts seminar, an upper-level course in ecological modeling, or a community read for concerned citizens." - Choice
Формат: Скан PDf
Ruth DeFries argues that a surprising set of time-tested strategies from the natural world can help humanity weather these crises. Through trial and error over the eons, life has evolved astonishing and counterintuitive tricks in order to survive. DeFries details how a handful of fundamental strategies—investments in diversity, redundancy over efficiency, self-correcting feedbacks, and decisions based on bottom-up knowledge—enable life to persist through unpredictable, sudden shocks. Lessons for supply chains from a leaf’s intricate network of veins and stock market-saving “circuit breakers” patterned on planetary cycles reveal the power of these approaches for modern life. With humility and willingness to apply nature’s experience to our human-constructed world, DeFries demonstrates, we can withstand uncertain and perilous times. Exploring the lessons that life on Earth can teach us about coping with complexity, What Would Nature Do? offers timely options for civilization to reorganize for a safe and prosperous future.
"Sturdy science applied to society’s biggest problems and good food for thought." - Kirkus
"A highly readable guide. An important book that identifies some of the limits of contemporary thinking." - Journal of Geography
"Positively packed with fascinating history, science and analysis. 'What Would Nature Do?’ is a fascinating and mind-expanding book that helps the reader see the world in a different way, with more interconnectivity and similarities across fields of inquiry and scales of existence than before. Read it-you won’t regret it!" - The Weekly Anthropocene
"This thought-provoking book packs at least 20 different disciplines into a satisfying exploration of the myriad ways the natural world contends with existential challenges that threaten equilibrium. . . . Extensive footnotes plus at least 375 references and a detailed index make this text equally useful for a first-year liberal arts seminar, an upper-level course in ecological modeling, or a community read for concerned citizens." - Choice
Формат: Скан PDf
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