Time's Up! An Uncivilized Solution to a Global Crisis

People know that the climate is changing for the worse, that species are being driven to extinction at a rapidly increasing rate, and that entire ecosystems are becoming shadows of their former richness. They know but they do not understand. The global environmental crisis is closing in on humanity from all directions, yet the crisis barely registers on this culture’s list of problems. As we stand around, humanity is doomed to a collapse that may leave only a few nomads, and a toxic, barely survivable Earth in its wake. So why is nothing being done beyond changing light bulbs, recycling, and buying organic food? It’s certainly not for a lack of good reasons. Humans have no motivation stronger than survival, yet the culture that dominates—the culture we call industrial civilization—has created a set of priorities that values financial wealth, the possession of superfluous goods, and short, cheap thrills above that most basic need. In short, we are prepared to die in order to live a life that is killing us. Time’s Up!is about changing our behavior. The book describes how our actions affect the very things on Earth that we depend on for survival, at scales that we rarely contemplate. It arms us with the tools to free us from a culture that has blinded us for centuries, and which will allow us to live in a way that will give Earth, and ourselves, a viable future.

Keith farnish is an environmental writer, philosopher and activist. He founded The Earth Blog (www.theearthblog.org) in 2006, and writes The Unsuitablog (www.unsuitablog.com). He is also a guest author on The Sietch Blog.