Civilization Critical

"With human civilization hurtling closer and closer to the brink of collapse, big-picture solutions are needed. Fast. In Civilization Critical, Darrin Qualman argues that in order to understand our present situation and our possible futures, we must focus on material and energy flows. The dominant patterns of nature are loops -- circular flows of nutrients, seeds, water, carbon and other materials -- while human systems are linear: moving from extraction to the factory, the store, the consumer and the landfill. Our petro-industrial systems are misshapen and cannot be sustained by the…