The Leap: How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy

The crises in our economic system, our energy supply, and our climate are converging. Solving these crises requires a fundamental change in our frame of reference—a decisive shift not so much in technology as in technique. In The Leap, award-winning journalist Chris Turner presents a field guide to making the jump from our current system of energy supply and consumption to a sustainable model that succeeds across the socioeconomic spectrum. It is an integrated approach, one that he calls a “great leap sideways,” because it is a lateral leap that anyone can make: not escaping from, but moving toward.

Written with clarity and verve, The Leap draws on recent breakthroughs in state-of-the-art renewable energy, clean tech, and urban design to paint a picture of viable, sustainable economies that are already up and running, from Europe’s “green belt” to America’s “rust belt.” The leap Turner describes lands us in a place of reinvigorated community, renewed industrial might, and greater economic health and social well-being. He takes us there by exploring fascinating “great leaps” that have been made throughout history, and by tackling the biggest challenges we face now.