Ignoring the Apocalypse: Why Planning to Prevent Environmental Catastrophe Goes Astray

Environmentalists often predict an Apocalypse is coming: The earth will heat up like a greenhouse. We will run out of energy. Overpopulation will lead to starvation and war. Nuclear winter will kill all plants and animals. During the past fifty to one hundred years, Americans have heard many prophecies of doom, such as the Club of Rome report predicting the world economy would crash about the year 2020. These do not come as complete surprises without any warnings. Sometimes the United States simply ignores the threats, but other times it makes plans to prevent them. This provocative book asks whether American planning is different for dangers that are truly apocalyptic--ones that could end life on the planet or at least modern economic prosperity.

This provocative book begins by asking whether American planning is different for dangers that are truly apocalyptic--ones that could end life on the planet or at least modern economic prosperity. It goes on to ask why Americans ignore so many problems like the greenhouse effect or an oil shortage or nuclear war, problems that have been forecast many times. Then when the United States does plan, why do those plans often go astray?

David Howard Davis is Professor of Political Science at the University of Toledo. He formerly taught at the University of Wyoming, Cornell, and Rutgers. He has been an energy consultant and has served in the U.S. Department of the Interior. His experience includes stints as an analyst at the Congressional Research Service and as a faculty fellow at the General Accounting Office. Davis is the author of three previous books.