There are two books in one here. The first third is about the Great Disruption itself, that is, the logical and inescapable consequences of the endless craving for growth and use of the finite natural resources of planet Earth. That the globe can't sustain infinite economical and population growth, especially with the ramping consumerism in the last decades, is an obvious conclusion that hasn't escaped even the pillars of Economy, such as Adam Smith, Keynes and Stuart Mill. This idea hasn't been recognized as it should, as an absurdly important and urgent matter, simply because its consequences are just appaling: in order for humans to stop destroying the world, and living the terrible consequences of doing so (we are already suffering them), the economy that drives us will have to shrink in tremendous levels. Endless consumption will simply have to end.
This part of the book could easily discuss many further examples of the causes and consequences of this process. Instead, it goes at length just to convince you simply that "this is true and will happen". Sadly, it shies away from what all this really means, which is what scares people so much, barely touching the facts that this collapse of economic growth means exactly 1. the logical failure of capitalism; and 2. that millions of people *will die* in this process. And soon.
So, in order to still be attractive to a large audience, the rest of the book leaves this discussion behind and becomes some sort of eco-self-help for middle-class and rich Americans (maybe also Australians, since that's where Gilding comes from). It centers on practical ways the reader should adopt in order to live in a more equal world, less demanding of nature and of consumption goods. There are dozens of examples of people like smart and well-intentioned CEOs who realized that in order for their business to survive they'll have to turn to new carbonless business strategies. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this target audience, but the problem is global, and the awareness and response should also be global.
And this exposes the ultimate flaw of the author's argument. What I mean is, try instead to read the last two thirds of the book before the first part, and you'll see a big contradiction in terms. You then learn first that you'll have to shop less in order to be happier, vaguely "share" more (he means: "otherwise the mass of helpless poor will invade us, glad the military is working on that!") and support innovative, eco-friendly businesses. Great, so that's how we do our part! *But* the arguments in the first part of the book say very clearly: this just won't be enough, because the disruption is far greater and faster than all our little collaborative work will be able to catch.
I do understand why Guilding has changed the tone in the second part. It is important not to give up hope after we realize this big truth, neither in our daily routine today nor in the future. The author knows too well how people can be resistant to both being conscious about the problem and acting on it. What I think is that the answers the book provides are still the very tip of the iceberg of this issue. An iceberg that's melting fast, for we're running out of time.
