The full Review has been published in Cadmus Journal Vol. 3, Issue 3  (p. 164-174) and is available here: Global Systems Change: Six Linked Perspectives! (October 2017)

Introduction

Change is everywhere in today’s world—for better and for worse—seemingly leading to more calls for change. This condition is amply illustrated by six recent books on accelerating:

1. Arctic changes and the planetary system (Wadhams)
2. Necessary green changes in human systems (Mathews)
3. The systemic changes we ought to have (Dixon)
4. The need for new political leaders to elevate the future of humanity above state interests (Dror)
5. A “power and systems approach” to change (Green)
6. Large system change pathways (Waddell)

This review can only briefly point to some of the key ideas and concerns of the six authors. A lengthy review of each book would require extensive coverage. Instead, highlighting similarities and differences, and the excellent qualifications for each of the authors seems like the better approach. Three of the books are scholarly in style, while Dixon, Dror, and Green are more popularized, albeit with plenty of footnoting and/or bibliography. All six authors have something important to contribute.

Author:

Michael Marien (mmarien@twcny.rr.com) Senior Principal of the SSG and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science, publisher of Cadmus and Eruditio. He founded and edited Future Survey, a monthly publication of the World Future Society (1979-2008). He wrote more than 20,000 abstracts of futures-relevant books, reports, and articles and has published more than a hundred articles in futures publications.