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The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power Is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World Paperback – January 8, 2013

by Jeremy Rifkin (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 467 ratings
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The Industrial Revolution, powered by oil and other fossil fuels, is spiraling into a dangerous endgame. The price of gas and food are climbing, unemployment remains high, the housing market has tanked, consumer and government debt is soaring, and the recovery is slowing. Facing the prospect of a second collapse of the global economy, humanity is desperate for a sustainable economic game plan to take us into the future.

Here, Jeremy Rifkin explores how Internet technology and renewable energy are merging to create a powerful "Third Industrial Revolution." He asks us to imagine hundreds of millions of people producing their own green energy in their homes, offices, and factories, and sharing it with each other in an "energy internet," just like we now create and share information online.

Rifkin describes how the five-pillars of the Third Industrial Revolution will create thousands of businesses, millions of jobs, and usher in a fundamental reordering of human relationships, from hierarchical to lateral power, that will impact the way we conduct commerce, govern society, educate our children, and engage in civic life.
Rifkin's vision is already gaining traction in the international community. The European Union Parliament has issued a formal declaration calling for its implementation, and other nations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, are quickly preparing their own initiatives for transitioning into the new economic paradigm.
The Third Industrial Revolution is an insider's account of the next great economic era, including a look into the personalities and players ― heads of state, global CEOs, social entrepreneurs, and NGOs ― who are pioneering its implementation around the world.

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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    January 8, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    6.09 x 0.9 x 9.32 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0230341977
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0230341975
  8. See all details
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4.5 out of 5 stars
467 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They appreciate the author's insights and vision for a sustainable future. The book provides a glimpse into a workable and sustainable economic future. It offers a visionary approach to energy generation and distribution that is gradually being adopted in Europe.

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ReadabilityInsightSustainabilityEnergy efficiency
46 customers mention "Readability"37 positive9 negative

Customers find the book readable and engaging. They describe it as well-written and informative. Readers also say it should be compulsory reading for everyone.

"...This is a great philosophy of the future as well." Read more

"Jeremy Rifkin outlines in a well written, clear and detail narrative what is needed to transition to a post carbon 21st century society...." Read more

"...The insights here are not just revolutionary, they're readable, since the author takes complex ideas and expresses them with lucidity and grace...." Read more

"It was interesting to read Rifkin’s book on the third industrial revolution some five years after it was written to see how his prognostications..." Read more

36 customers mention "Insight"36 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights and vision. They find the subject fascinating and the perspective into the world energy problem compelling. The book outlines the most exciting solutions to answer global climate change while creating interesting new ideas. Readers describe the author as an original thinker with unique insights worth considering. The book expresses complex ideas in a readable way.

"...I find this model especially helpful. The transitions, as he points out, take many years, decades, in fact...." Read more

"...This book is a description of the convergence of new communication technologies with new energy systems to create the Third Industrial Revolution...." Read more

"...It outlines the most exciting solutions to answer global climate change while creating millions of jobs and reducing cost's across every sector of..." Read more

"...here are not just revolutionary, they're readable, since the author takes complex ideas and expresses them with lucidity and grace...." Read more

18 customers mention "Sustainability"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a glimpse into a sustainable future. They say it's a workable and sustainable economic future, addressing the jobs issue. The book has useful perspectives on next generation approaches to business, a philosophy of the future, and a real plan for dealing with climate change.

"...Most importantly he provides an historical model of this type of industrial change...." Read more

"...energy levels and at the same time maintain a high-performing, sustainable economy. These are exciting times and they have already begun...." Read more

"...This is a great philosophy of the future as well." Read more

"...exciting solutions to answer global climate change while creating millions of jobs and reducing cost's across every sector of the world's economy..." Read more

11 customers mention "Energy efficiency"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's energy efficiency visionary. They say it's a green global energy strategy that is gradually being adopted in Europe. The book covers changes in energy production and utilization as driven by changes in technology. It deals with the transformation toward the energy grid, energy efficiency, and how to store the renewable energy. Readers appreciate the thoughtful solution to our energy and pollution problems.

"...The emerging Third Industrial Revolution, is a function of distributed renewable energies, that will be collected at millions of local sites and..." Read more

"...This book deals with changes in energy production and utilization as driven by changes in communication...." Read more

"...processes and connects many of the dots of the myriad & disparate energy technologies and how they will coalesce and be deployed in the years ahead...." Read more

"...I believe this is likely a passionate look at our energy future. Jeremy Rifkin is a compelling communicator...." Read more

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Adds amazing clarity and coherence to my dynamically evolving narrative. A compelling work!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • cn23271
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must for climate change policy.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Prompt delivery. The book is used but readable.
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  • Inventor2Go
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best model I've found by which to understand deep rooted social and environmental problems and become an agent of change.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This was a second book I bought, this one to share with friends and family. It is the first book I have read on the worlds "economic" crisis which provided a model as to the primary causes. It also offers solutions that can help direct the necessary changes to take place. Most importantly he provides an historical model of this type of industrial change. Rifkin speaks of the coming of a reduction in size of government structures. I find this model especially helpful. The transitions, as he points out, take many years, decades, in fact. And there is a lot of pain, often cause by those opposing the changes. Most of us can bear hard transitions if we see some good in the outcome. Jeremy Rifkin's proposition is that the transitioning to "Lateral (distributed) Power" is the change that provides an empowering, upbeat and to be hoped for outcome.
    This is not an easy read, but for those emotionally mature enough to have their notions challenged it is well worth the read. Ponder his premise, and think fresh and open thoughts on the Why of economic and social change. I found it freeing.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Ian Mann
    4.0 out of 5 stars The railroads led to other necessary businesses like the telegraph industry which also had to be huge
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    “Our industrial civilization is at a crossroads. Oil and the other fossil fuel energies that make up the industrial way of life are sunsetting, and the technologies made from and propelled by these energies are antiquated,” explains Author Jeremy Rifkin. He is a lecturer at Wharton business school, on new trends in science, technology, the economy, and society, but more impressively is a consultant to the EU on these issues, and also to the Chinese government.
    This book is a description of the convergence of new communication technologies with new energy systems to create the Third Industrial Revolution. The first two industrial revolutions profoundly changed history, but came with a huge social and environmental costs.
    First and Second Industrial Revolutions forged the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These revolutions were based on fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas, which are only found in specific places. As such, these places require geopolitical management, and often significant military investment to secure access to them. This necessitated a centralized energy infrastructure which set the tone for the rest of the economy and social life for two centuries.
    First Industrial Revolution had as its centrepiece coal-powered, steam-driven machines. The railroad, was one of its most important achievements, with profound consequences. Building a railroad required more capital than even the wealthiest families of the day could afford singlehandedly. This led to the need to concentrate the capital of investors which resulted in the separation of ownership from the management of the business.
    The challenges of running a railroad were unique. Hundreds of miles of track had to be laid, rail beds had to be maintained, engines and carriages repaired, systems developed to prevent accidents and extensive up-to-the-moment records. This required layers of management and a gargantuan workforce with output optimized through top-down command and control, and tasks broken down into fixed, repeatable stages.
    The railroads led to other necessary businesses like the telegraph industry which also had to be huge. Other mass-producing giants appeared with centralized factories to reduce the cost of production. For example, small farms gave way to agri-businesses that transformed food production into a factory system.
    An army of people were needed who could write reports and write critical management documents. The school system was organized along the same lines as businesses with top-down management, fixed tasks and outcomes, to best prepare a literate workforce for life in large, centralized, authoritarian businesses.
    “The centralized and rationalized business model established during the First Industrial Revolution, carried over to the Second Industrial Revolution (the Oil Age.)” Rifkin explains. The character of the oil industry has been gigantism and centralization, because it too required large amounts of capital, economies of scale, and a top-down command and control structure. The Oil Age required the most expensive organization ever conceived to collect, process, and distribute its energy.
    Gigantism and centralization affected other industries too: modern finance, automotive, power and utilities, telecommunications, and commercial construction.
    “In the coming half century, the conventional, centralized business operations of the First and Second Industrial Revolutions will increasingly be subsumed by the distributed business practices of the Third Industrial Revolution.” This is the core message of this book.
    “We have the science, the technology, and the game plan to make it happen,” says Rifkin and working at the highest levels of the world’s largest economies, he is in a position to know.
    Hundreds of millions of human beings can now generate their own green energy in their homes, offices, and factories. They can share it with others across intelligent, distributed, electricity networks—‘an intergrid’—just as they do with the information they create and share on the Internet.
    Here are some facts Rifkin presents: the cost of photovoltaic electricity is expected to decline at a rate of 8% a year, halving the cost of generation every eight years. The commercial growth in solar and wind technology is as dramatic as the growth in personal computers and Internet use, with installations doubling every two years.
    One hour of sunlight provides enough power to run a global economy for a full year. 40% of the roofs, and 15% of all the building facades in the EU, are suitable for photovoltaic applications.
    The United States has enough wind resources to power the entire nation several times over. A Stanford University study of global wind capacity estimates that harnessing 20% of the available wind on the planet, would provide seven times more electricity than the world now uses.
    Hydropower currently makes up the largest portion of green-generated electricity in the world, but the untapped potential, is in small distributed hydropower installations.
    The geothermal energy beneath the Earth’s surface reaches 4,000 degrees Celsius, and that energy is continuously flowing to the surface. In the United States, the geothermal energy within two miles of the Earth’s surface produces enough energy to provide for America’s needs for 30,000 years.
    Biomass includes fuel crops, forestry waste, and municipal garbage. The World Bioenergy Association claims that “the world’s bioenergy potential is large enough to meet the global energy demand in 2050.”
    Conventional energy (coal, oil, gas, and uranium) employed 260,000 in Germany in 2003, whereas renewable energy by 2007 accounted for 249,300 jobs. Put differently, less than 10% of the energy produced by renewable sources, created nearly as many jobs as all other energy sources combined.
    The Spanish economy, which supports over 188,000 renewable energy jobs and 1,027 renewable energy companies, has produced five times the employment of the conventional energy industry.
    We have the ability to change from a carbon-based fossil fuel energy regime to a renewable energy regime. We can reconfigure the buildings of the world, and transform every house into a mini power plant that can collect renewable energies on site. We are able to store the renewable energy so that we can ensure a continuous, reliable supply of green electricity to meet demand. Using Internet communication technology we can convert the electricity grid into an intelligent utility network. Millions of people will be able to send the green electricity they generate on their buildings to the grid to share with others just as information is generated and shared on the Internet.
    We are seeing the movement of cars, buses, trucks, trains to electric plug-in and fuel cell vehicles powered by renewable energies. We are seeing charging stations across countries where people can buy and sell electricity on the distributed electricity grid.
    The emerging Third Industrial Revolution, is a function of distributed renewable energies, that will be collected at millions of local sites and then aggregated and shared with others. These renewable energies are found everywhere and are partially free—sun, wind, hydro, geothermal heat, biomass, and ocean waves and tides. We are now able to achieve optimum energy levels and at the same time maintain a high-performing, sustainable economy.
    These are exciting times and they have already begun.
    Readability Light ----+ Serious
    Insights High +---- Low
    Practical High ----+ Low

    Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Marcus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read. He predicted alot of what has happened.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    He predicted alot of what has already happened and has predicted things that are starting to happen. However, there is alot of fluff information about his diplo-political efforts in Europe and US that could be avoided. This is a great philosophy of the future as well.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power Is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World
    Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Jeremy Rifkin outlines in a well written, clear and detail narrative what is needed to transition to a post carbon 21st century society. The Third Industrial Revolution redefines energy production as we have know it and highlights Europe's commitment since 2007 to make generative lateral power production a reality across nations and continents using 5 key technology pillars. His analysis of the driving forces behind these transitions and the economic, industrial, social, and environmental benefits that are being generated to people, business, and governments today provide solid evidence of the financial benefits available now.
    Anyone who is serious about bringing long term economic growth, jobs and environmental benefit to our world today should read this book. It outlines the most exciting solutions to answer global climate change while creating millions of jobs and reducing cost's across every sector of the world's economy today.
    Economic Environmental Energy = E3 Wise.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Alder MoonOak
    5.0 out of 5 stars Revolution to Evolution
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Jeremy Rifkin has written from the edge of the future for decades, and his work is always thought-provoking or even visionary. His latest, The Third Industrial Revolution, is a timely book connecting the dots of "lateral power," ecologically sustainable economics, and the coming "collaborative economy." The insights here are not just revolutionary, they're readable, since the author takes complex ideas and expresses them with lucidity and grace. The new era may well be cooperative and sharing rather than competitive and hoarding. If so, I believe optimism is in order, and so does Mr. Rifkin.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Joseph Lalchhanchhuaha
    5.0 out of 5 stars Future of energy
    Reviewed in India on February 5, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I think is very certain its exactly where our future energy demand will be met as is describe in the book. It was very insightful.
    Report
  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magnífico libro correctamente servido
    Reviewed in Spain on July 18, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    La única pega es que no sea una encuadernación de lujo como se merece cada página que escribe Jeremy Rifkin. :-)
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  • Raymond
    5.0 out of 5 stars The book that most Energy Company CEO's do not want you to read!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    After reading this book I want to be part of the Third Industrial Revolution (TIR), this book is amazing. The book shares with you the current states of our carbonized world and how it will change providing we move to renewable's. I have nearly a decades experience in the energy industry and this booked helped me to connect the dots strategically at what is happening in government and the energy industry. What I love about this books is it is not just based economics but discusses everything we need to do to move to the (TIR) from education to technology.

    I'd recommend this book to anyone in the energy industry, this book was a huge influence in me leaving my energy company to join an technology company that provides energy enterprises software to utilities, because there will not always be a role for people in the energy industry as we know today but we will always needs a role to create and implement software solutions for the energy sector.
    Report
  • BC6915
    5.0 out of 5 stars Light at the end of the eco-tunnel
    Reviewed in Canada on November 24, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Everyone who thinks about the planet and the mess we have made of the environment should read this book. It gives me hope to see the changes that are already taking place in the world around me. This book provides a roadmap, an approach to resolving the inevitable energy crisis and chaos that will ensue if we don't get our act together. I highly recommended that you read this book.
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  • Albert Godts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Can it be possible for real ?
    Reviewed in France on February 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Rifkin has brought out of his magic hat, the perfect formula to combine personal improvement, economic growth and respect for climate and nature. But will the politicians follow ? Europe divided as it is, Russia living in the 18th century (politically at least), USA under control of the major economic players, Japan (too insulated to count on a climate protection), China (not yet having digested it first steps in the second industrial revolution), the rest of Asia ( ????), Africa (where even Ebola cannot be fought successfully), and Australia (where possibilities are better but what influence on the rest of the world?) . A fantastic book and I hope many people who can influence our world will read it and consider its possibilities.
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