If civilisation is to survive, this century will have to see dramatic transformation, not just in technological capacity but also in our approach to the natural world - and to each other. The road we are travelling on now can only end in disaster.

The warnings from scientists are unequivocal: we cannot sustain our current levels of consumption and growth. We are depleting the Earth's natural resources, damaging its environmental systems and compromising social stability by allowing the gap to widen between rich and poor. In short, we are consuming the future. Unless we radically re-think the way we live, the attitudes that fostered our development will also be the source of our downfall.

In A Big Fix, eminent scientist and environmentalist Ian Lowe tackles this crisis head on and points the way to a sustainable future. Incorporating the most recent data, he proposes fundamental changes to our values and institutions, offers far-reaching solutions and a vision of a healthier society - one that is humane, informed and ecologically minded.

Ian Lowe is an emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University and was a reviewer for the United Nations-sponsored 2005 Millennium Assessment Report and the 2004 report of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. He is the president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, and is the author or co-author of 16 other books, including A Big Fix. Professor Lowe lives on the Sunshine Coast.