About the Book
A major new analysis and action plan to deal with two linked challenges to
human ingenuity and human survival - the crisis of climate change and the world
economic crash.
It's time to stop just worrying about climate change, says Paul Gilding. Instead we need to brace for
impact, because global crisis is no longer avoidable. The ‘Great Disruption' started in 2008, with
spiking food and oil prices and dramatic ecological change like the melting polar icecap. It is not
simply about fossil fuels and carbon footprints. We have come to the end of Economic Growth,
Version 1.0, a world economy based on consumption and waste, where we lived beyond the means
of our planet's ecosystems and resources. The Great Disruption offers a stark and unflinching look
at the challenge humanity faces - yet also a deeply optimistic message. The coming decades will see
loss, suffering and conflict as our planetary overdraft is paid. However, they will also bring out the
best humanity can offer: compassion, innovation, resilience and adaptability. Gilding tells us how to
fight, and win, what he calls ‘the One Degree War' to prevent catastrophic warming of the earth,
and how to start today. The crisis we are in represents a rare chance to replace our addiction to
growth with an ethic of sustainability, and it's already happening. It's also an unmatched business
opportunity: old industries will collapse while new companies literally reshape our economy. In the
aftermath of the Great Disruption, we will measure ‘growth' in a new way. It will mean not quantity
of stuff, but quality, and happiness, of life. And, yes, there is life after shopping. The Great
Disruption is an invigorating and well-informed polemic by an advocate for sustainability and
climate change who has dedicated his life to campaigning for a balanced use of Earth's limited
resources. It is essential reading.