Book Review: The future is not what it used to be: climate change and energy scarcity

"The Future Is Not What it Used to Be: Climate Change and Energy Scarcity." Jörg Friedrichs. MIT Press. September 2013. --- In this book, Jorg Friedrichs argues that industrial society itself is transitory, and he examines the prospects for our civilization’s coming to terms with its two most imminent choke points: climate change and energy scarcity. The author contends that industrial civilization cannot outlast our ability to burn fossil fuels and that the demise of industrial society would entail cataclysmic change, including population decreases. Sarah Lester writes that while this is a well-sourced book with a reasonable argument, readers might have to look elsewhere to get a a more nuanced view on the future of this debate.