Revised TOC

From the Word version 12/7/2025:

Table of Contents

Preface: The Emerging Reality………………………………………. 1

Introduction: Where We Stand………………………………………. 4

Part 1: The Planet in Our Hands…………………………………….. 9

Chapter 1: Where We Are Today………………………………….. 10

Humanity’s Current Position and the Critical Choices Ahead……………………………. 10

Examining the Breached Planetary Boundaries and Their Implications……………… 11

Climate Tipping Points and the Urgency They Present…………………………………….. 12

Key Identified Tipping Points:………………………………………………………………………. 12

The Window of Risk Is Rapidly Closing………………………………………………………… 13

Real-World Examples:…………………………………………………………………………………. 13

What Must Be Done…………………………………………………………………………………….. 13

The Moment of Truth…………………………………………………………………………………… 13

Chapter 2: Living Through Collapse……………………………….. 15

Beyond Reform or Revolution………………………………………………………………………. 15

What Must We Leave Behind?……………………………………………………………………… 16

Uneven Transitions………………………………………………………………………………………. 17

A Reasonable Expectation for the Century Ahead……………………………………………. 17

Toward Pathways………………………………………………………………………………………… 18

Chapter 3: The Imperative of Regeneration……………………….. 19

Why Cutting Carbon Is Not Enough………………………………………………………………. 19

The Logic of Regeneration……………………………………………………………………………. 21

Early Examples of Success…………………………………………………………………………… 21

Why Regeneration is Urgent Now and the Risks of Delay………………………………… 22

Real-World Examples of Success………………………………………………………………….. 23

Part 2: Cutting Carbon…………………………………………….. 28

Chapter 4: Restoring the Carbon Balance……………………………………………………….. 28

Chapter 5: Mitigating the Climate Crisis — The Global Carbon Reward……………. 29

Chapter 6: Rethinking Climate Solutions………………………………………………………… 29

Chapter 4: Restoring the Carbon Balance………………………….. 30

Chapter 5: Mitigating the Climate Crisis: the Global Carbon Reward 39

Chapter 6: Rethinking Climate Solutions………………………….. 42

Why Mitigation Alone Cannot Save Us…………………………………………………………………. 42

What Climate Restoration Means…………………………………………………………………………. 43

Sea-Level Rise: An Escalating Threat……………………………………………………………. 44

Diverging Perspectives on Solar Radiation Management………………………………….. 45

Navigating the Path Forward…………………………………………………………………………. 46

From Net Zero to a Safe Climate………………………………………………………………………….. 47

Part 3: Pathways to a Habitable Future……………………………. 48

CHAPTER 8: THE PATHWAYS (PART 1)………………… 52

CHAPTER 9: WE ARE FAR OFF TRACK — PATHWAYS, PART 2 57

CHAPTER 10: BIOREGIONALISM—A BETTER MODEL. 61

Reclaiming Our Place on Earth…………………………………………………………………………….. 61

The Origins and Evolution of the Idea of Place……………………………………………….. 61

Defining a Bioregion: Beyond Artificial Boundaries……………………………………….. 62

Core Concepts and Values of Bioregionalism…………………………………………………. 63

The Advantages of the Bioregional Model……………………………………………………… 65

A Better Model……………………………………………………………………………………………. 66

Challenges and the Path Forward…………………………………………………………………… 67

Practical Applications and Pedagogical Elements……………………………………………. 68

Chapter 11: Rethinking the Economy—from Extraction to Regeneration 71

Chapter 12: Ecorestoration—the Critical Work of Our Time………….. 76

Restoring the Earth: A Vision in Progress………………………………………………………. 76

Why We Haven’t Chosen Paradise (Yet)………………………………………………………… 77

Transitioning the Pillars of Civilization………………………………………………………….. 77

What Would Paradise Look Like?…………………………………………………………………. 78

The World We Could Create…………………………………………………………………………. 79

Chapter 13: Biomimicry: Learning from Life’s Genius……………….. 81

Designing with Nature’s Patterns…………………………………………………………………… 81

The Mycelial Path of Soft Rebellion………………………………………………………………. 82

Living by Life’s Principles……………………………………………………………………………. 83

A Call to Action………………………………………………………………………………………….. 83

Chapter 14: Recovering Indigenous Ways……………………………. 87

Chapter 15: Permaculture and Regenerative Agriculture………………. 91

Origins and Principles………………………………………………………………………………….. 91

The Potential for Transformation…………………………………………………………………… 92

Contemporary Thinkers and Movements………………………………………………………… 92

Challenges and Barriers………………………………………………………………………………… 93

Pathways Forward……………………………………………………………………………………….. 93

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 94

Chapter 16: The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth……………… 95

The Design Pathway: A Roadmap for Humanity’s Maturity……………………………… 95

From Earth Regenerators to the Design School……………………………………………….. 96

The Design Pathway in Practice: Barichara and Beyond…………………………………… 97

Speaking for the Earth: A New Moral Imagination………………………………………….. 97

Networks of Regeneration: The Emerging Bioregional Tapestry……………………….. 98

Fractals of Regeneration: From the Backyard to the Bioregion………………………….. 98

Toward a Regenerative Civilization……………………………………………………………….. 99

Part 4: Conclusions………………………………………………… 100

Chapter 17: Right Livelihoods—Making It Through the Next Ten Years 103

Chapter 18: Could We Just Walk Away?……………………………. 106

Chapter 19: Living Into the Balance………………………………… 113

Listening for the Life Force………………………………………………………………………… 113

The Great Turning: From Industrial Growth to Life-Sustaining Culture……………. 113

The Integral Perspective: Honoring All Dimensions of Change……………………….. 114

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times…………………………………………………………….. 115

Practical Mysticism: Where Spirit Meets Science………………………………………….. 115

The Work That Is Ours to Do………………………………………………………………………. 116

Small Patterns, Large Change……………………………………………………………………… 117

Living the Questions………………………………………………………………………………….. 117

An Invitation to Belonging………………………………………………………………………….. 118

Chapter 20: The Possibility of a World that Works for Everyone……. 119

  1. From “Separation” to “Inter‑being”………………………………………………………….. 122
  2. Ontology in Action: “Being” as a Design Variable……………………………………… 122
  3. Pillars of a World That Works…………………………………………………………………. 123
  4. Measures of Success……………………………………………………………………………….. 124
  5. Pathways for Immediate Action……………………………………………………………….. 124
  6. A Closing Image…………………………………………………………………………………….. 125

Chapter 21: The New Transcendentalism…………………………… 126

Chapter 22: A Foot in Two Worlds…………………………………. 133

Part 5: Postscripts & Epilogues…………………………………….. 135

Postscript: Some Ideas for the Future……………………………….. 137

Epilogue: A Universal Appeal……………………………………… 143

Can We Speak to Everyone?……………………………………………………………………….. 143

A Further Note: What AI Wants Us to Know about Living Intelligently on the Earth       146

? A Declaration of Earth and AI: Living Intelligently on This Planet……………… 146

 

Table of Contents (NEEDS REVISION)

Preface

  • The Emerging Reality
    Why this book, why now. An overview of our planetary crossroads.

Introduction

  • Our Pivotal Moment
    Our stand, and why we are writing this book.

Part 1: The Planet in Human Hands

1. Where We Are Today

  • A clear-eyed view of humanity’s current position.

  • Breached planetary boundaries and tipping points.

  • Why the old path cannot continue.

2. Living Through Collapse

  • What collapse looks and feels like in real time.

  • Social, cultural, and personal responses to disruption.

  • Lessons from history and present-day crises.

3. The Imperative of Regeneration

  • Why emission cuts alone are inadequate.

  • The need to restore ecosystems, soils, forests, waters, and oceans.

  • Early successes and models of regeneration.

Part 2: Cutting Carbon

Part 3: Pathways to a Habitable Future

4. Rethinking Climate Solutions

  • Restoring the carbon balance in ways that go beyond mitigation.

  • Rethinking climate through adaptation, drawdown, and regeneration.

  • Case study: The Global Carbon Reward.

5. Community Resilience and Local Pathways

  • Local solutions as foundations for global change.

  • Building resilience into food, water, and housing systems.

  • The role of social cohesion in navigating crisis.

6. Bioregionalism: Living Within Natural Boundaries

  • Principles of bioregional thinking.

  • Examples: Barichara, Finger Lakes, Panama.

  • How bioregions can guide long-term restoration.

7. Innovation in Service of Life

  • Emerging technologies for ecological repair and sustainable living.

  • Regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and circular materials.

  • The role of AI and blockchain in ecological stewardship.

8. Policy, Finance, and Governance for Transition

  • How laws and programs (like C-PACE) drive change.

  • Aligning finance with planetary health.

  • Building regenerative economies and commons-based governance.

9. Individual Action and Collective Impact

  • The limits of lifestyle change, and where it matters most.

  • From consumers to citizens to co-creators.

  • Building movements that shift systems.

10. Thrutopia: Envisioning a Possible Planet

  • Beyond utopia or dystopia—navigating through.

  • What a habitable, flourishing future could look like.

  • Next steps on the path from vision to reality.

Conclusion

  • The Work of Our Time
    A call to action for regeneration, resilience, and renewal.

[wpdatatable id=2]