The infinite resource [electronic resource] : the power of ideas on a finite planet / Ramez Naam.

ISBN:

9781611683769

Title:

Author:

Naam, Ramez.

Personal Author:

Naam, Ramez.

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 349 pages) : illustrations

Contents:

The rise of innovation -- The incredible present -- Running out of steam -- Peak everything? -- Greenhouse earth -- End of the party? -- The first energy technology -- The transformer -- The substitute -- The reducer -- The recycler -- The multiplier -- Investing in ideas -- The flaw in the market -- Market solutions -- The unthinkable : here there be dragons -- The unthinkable : climate engineering -- Greener than green -- The decoupler -- Of mouths and minds -- Easy way, hard way.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Renewable natural resources.

Natural resources.

Sustainable development.

Conservation of natural resources.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2013

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
333.7 23	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Climate change. Finite fossil fuels. Fresh water depletion. Rising commodity prices. Ocean acidification. Overpopulation. Deforestation. Feeding the world's billions. We're beset by an array of natural resource and environmental challenges. They pose a tremendous risk to human prosperity, to world peace, and to the planet itself. Yet, if we act, these problems are addressable. Throughout history we've overcome similar problems, but only when we've focused our energies on innovation. For the most valuable resource we have isn't oil, water, gold, or land - it's our stockpile of useful ideas, and our continually growing capacity to expand them. In this remarkable book, Ramez Naam charts a course to supercharge innovation - by changing the rules of our economy - that can lead the whole world to greater wealth and human well-being, even as we dodge looming resource crunches and environmental disasters and reduce our impact on the planet. "Most books about the future are written by blinkered Pollyannas or hand-wringing Cassandras. Ramez Naam--Egypt-born, Illinois-raised, a major contributor to the computer revolution--is neither. Having thought about science, technology and the environment for decades, he has become that rarest of creatures: a clear-eyed optimist. Concise, informed and passionately argued, The Infinite Resource both acknowledges the very real dangers that lie ahead for the human enterprise and the equally real possibility that we might not only survive but thrive." --Charles Mann, New York Times bestselling author of 1491 and 1493 "An amazing book. Throughout history, the most important source of new wealth has been new ideas. Naam shows how we can tap into and steer that force to overcome our current problems and help create a world of abundance." --Peter H. Diamandis, MD, chairman and CEO, X PRIZE Foundation; chairman, Singularity University; and author, Abundance--The Future Is Better Than You Think

Author Notes

RAMEZ NAAM is a Fellow of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. He is a former Microsoft executive, and former CEO of Apex Nanotechnologies, a nanotech startup. He is the author of More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement (2005), for which he was awarded the 2005 H.G. Wells Award. He lives in Seattle.

Reviews (3)

Booklist Review

As the world teeters on the brink of dramatic, perhaps catastrophic, transformation due to climate change, it is hard to find good news anywhere. Luckily, business and technology ethicist Naam knows where to look. The increasingly noteworthy author of More Than Human (2005) and a debut sf novel, Nexus (2013), Naam says there is much to decry as he cites all the usual suspects, from rising sea levels to devastating droughts. But there is also much to celebrate, from humankind's proven ability to conquer adversity through innovation to the limitless availability of renewable resources such as solar and wind power. By providing a detailed, statistically rich historical background on many of the detrimental practices and attitudes that have brought humanity to the nail-biting precipice that may await a century from now, Naam strengthens his soberly confident, if not cautiously optimistic, predictions for how humans can walk it back from the edge of disaster. Though some of his arguments may evoke controversy, Naam nonetheless presents a balanced and ecumenical approach through cogent, well-researched positions.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2010 Booklist

Choice Review

Computer scientist/writer Naam (More than Human, 2005) has produced a compelling road map for meeting the dire environmental, energy, and food challenges facing human civilization. He argues persuasively, drawing from a wealth of research, that humanity has the potential to innovate itself out of those problems, as it has before. The latter historical point is particularly important, and Naam's account of the still-in-progress postwar green revolution--which averted predicted food shortages and mass starvation--is excellent. There and elsewhere Naam demonstrates that time after time human ingenuity has radically transformed people's ability to draw more efficiently from the planet's finite resources, making them potentially infinite with regard to human needs. At the same time, the author does not sugarcoat the extinction-level threats facing humanity. Despite exciting trends in virtually all areas of technology, he urges against complacency, citing lost societies that failed to meet their own challenges, a distinctly possible outcome for all of humanity at this point. Naam is weakest when discussing education reform and, despite his attention to the problem of market failure, is at times overly enthusiastic about market solutions. Nevertheless, this is a vitally important work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic, professional, and general readers. S. E. Horn Everett Community College

Library Journal Review

Egypt-born and Seattle-based Naam (winner of the H.G. Wells Award for More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement) is confident that the world's most abundant resource-human innovation-is capable of overcoming poverty, inequality, climate change, and other challenges facing a world dependent on a number of resources such as oil, farmed food, fresh water, and clean air, to name a few. Even as resources are depleting, Naam is optimistic that they are only temporarily limited and may become abundant and their lack may be addressed by taking advantage of innovation. He illustrates the historical evidence for his positive outlook: scientists have increased global life expectancy by 20 years in the past century; food production has risen at a rate greater than population growth since the 1960s; more than twice as many people have electricity in their homes than did in the 1970s. For Naam, progress is a result of applying the innovative power of the human mind, and the problems that seem great and insurmountable may be solved if people live up to their potential. Verdict Recommended for readers of popular science and popular history and environmentalists.-Robert C. Robinson, CUNY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Preface: A Tale of Two Planets

The Best Of Times

The Rise of Innovation

The Incredible Present

The Worst Of Times

Running Out of Steam

Peak Everything?

Greenhouse Earth

End of the Party?

The Power Of Ideas

The First Energy Technology

The Transformer

The Substitute

The Reducer

The Recycler

The Multiplier

Unleashing Innovation

Investing in Ideas

The Flaw in the Market

Market Solutions

The Unthinkable: Here There Be Dragons

The Unthinkable: Climate Engineering

Greener Than Green

The Decoupler

Of Mouths and Minds

Easy Way, Hard Way

Coda: Living in the Twenty-First Century

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (3)

Booklist Review

Choice Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents