Global catastrophes and trends : the next fifty years / Vaclav Smil.

Cambridge, MA ; London : The MIT Press, [2008], ©2008.

xi, 307 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

1. How (not) to look ahead -- 2. Fatal discontinuities. Natural catastrophes -- Encounters with extraterrestrial objects -- Volcanic mega-eruptions and collapses -- Influenza pandemics -- Violent conflicts -- Transformational wars -- Terrorist attacks -- Imaginable surprises -- 3. Unfolding trends. Energy transitions -- Dominant fuels, enduring prime movers -- Solar (nuclear?) civilization -- New world order -- Europe's place -- Japan's decline -- Islam's choice -- Russia's way -- China's rise -- The United States' retreat -- Place on top -- Dominance and decline -- Globalization and inequality -- 4. Environmental change. Global warming and its consequences -- Rising temperatures -- Ocean's rise, dynamics and composition -- Ecosystems and economies -- Other global changes -- Changing water and nitrogen cycles -- Loss of biodiversity and invasive species -- Antibiotic resistance -- Biosphere's integrity -- 5. Dealing with risk and uncertainty. Relative fears -- Quantifying the odds -- Rational attitudes -- Acting as risk minimizes -- The next 50 years.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [259]-295) and indexes.