Future Matters

Future Matters concerns contemporary approaches to the future – how the future is known, created and minded. In a social world whose pace continues to accelerate the future becomes an increasingly difficult terrain. While the focus of social life is narrowing down to the present, the futures we create on a daily basis cast ever longer shadows. Future Matters addresses this paradox and its deep ethical implications.

Future Matters concerns contemporary approaches to the future - how the future is known, created and minded. In a social world whose pace continues to accelerate the future becomes an increasingly difficult terrain. While the focus of social life is narrowing down to the present, the futures we create on a daily basis cast ever longer shadows. Future Matters addresses this paradox and its deep ethical implications. It locates contemporary approaches to the future in a wider sociological and historical framework of practices, traces differences and continuities, and shows how contemporary practices of futures-construction make taking responsibility for futures all but impossible.

A philosopher and a scientist propose that sustainability can be understood as living well together without diminishing opportunity to live well in the future. Most people acknowledge the profound importance of sustainability, but few can define it. We are ethically bound to live sustainably for the sake of future generations, but what does that mean? In this book Randall Curren, a philosopher, and Ellen Metzger, a scientist, clarify normative aspects of sustainability. Combining their perspectives, they propose that sustainability can be understood as the art of living well together without diminishing opportunity to live well in the future. Curren and Metzger lay out the nature and value of sustainability, survey the problems, catalog the obstacles, and identify the kind of efforts needed to overcome them. They formulate an ethic of sustainability with lessons for government, organizations, and individuals, and illustrate key ideas with three case studies. Curren and Metzger put intergenerational justice at the heart of sustainability; discuss the need for fair (as opposed to coercive) terms of cooperation to create norms, institutions, and practices conducive to sustainability; formulate a framework for a fundamental ethic of sustainability derived from core components of common morality; and emphasize the importance of sustainability education. The three illustrative case studies focus on the management of energy, water, and food systems, examining the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Australia's National Water Management System, and patterns of food production in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia.

Presented in the form of letters from a rabbi to his sons, Why Israel (and its Future) Matters argues that young Jews need Israel as a source of pride, connection, and Jewish renewal, and Israel needs them for the liberal values that they can bring to the Zionist enterprise. Exploring the roots and the occasionally antisemitic branches of the campaign against Israel, Rabbi Rosove demonstrates why it’s wrong to characterize Israel as an “oppressor state” and damn it with blanket condemnations. A 15-page appendix features a timeline/mini-history of Zionism and Israel from the 19th century through October 2023. “A must-read!” —Isaac Herzog, President of Israel “This thoughtful and passionate book reminds us that commitment to Israel and to social justice are essential components of a healthy Jewish identity.” —Yossi Klein Halevi, author, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor “In its call for ‘aspirational Zionism,’ the book is honest and tough about Israel’s flaws, but optimistic about the country’s direction and filled with practical strategies for promoting change. This is a no-nonsense, straight-talking work, intellectually rigorous but deeply personal.” —Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President Emeritus, Union for Reform Judaism “A moving love letter to Israel from a rabbinic leader who refuses to give into despair, but instead recommits to building a democratic Israel that lives up to the vision of its founders.” —Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Executive Director, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights “Rabbi Rosove grapples with modern Israel, Jewish identity, relations between Israelis and Diaspora Jews, and perhaps most significantly whether ‘you can maintain your ethical and moral values while at the same time being supporters of the Jewish state despite its flaws and imperfections.’ It is a book that many of us wish we had written for our own children.” —Daniel Kurtzer, Former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt (1997-2001) and to Israel (2001-2005)

“This book comes at just the right moment. It is NOT too late if we get together and take action, NOW.” —Jane Goodall Fears about climate change are fueling an epidemic of despair across the world: adults worry about their children’s future; thirty-somethings question whether they should have kids or not; and many young people honestly believe they have no future at all. In the face of extreme eco-anxiety, scholar and award-winning author Elin Kelsey argues that our hopelessness—while an understandable reaction—is hampering our ability to address the very real problems we face. Kelsey offers a powerful solution: hope itself. Hope Matters boldly breaks through the narrative of doom and gloom to show why evidence-based hope, not fear, is our most powerful tool for change. Kelsey shares real-life examples of positive climate news that reveal the power of our mindsets to shape reality, the resilience of nature, and the transformative possibilities of individual and collective action. And she demonstrates how we can build on positive trends to work toward a sustainable and just future, before it’s too late. Praise for Hope Matters “Whether you consider yourself a passionate ally of nature, a busy bystander, or anything in between, this book will uplift your spirits, helping you find hope in the face of climate crisis.” —Veronica Joyce Lin, North American Association for Environmental Education “30 Under 30” “A tonic in hard times.” —Claudia Dreyguis, author of Scientific Conversations: Interviews on Science from the New York Times “Beautifully written and an effective antidote against apathy and inaction.” —Christof Mauch, Director, Rachel Carson Center for the Environment and Society Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.

Calgary, Alberta is a culturally diverse urban metropolis. Sprawling and car-dependent, fast-growing and affluent, it is dominated by the fossil fuel industry. For 30 years, Calgary has struggled to turn sustainability rhetoric into reality. Sustainability Matters is the story of Calgary's setbacks and successes on the path toward sustainability. Chronicling two decades of public conversations, political debate, urban policy and planning, and scholarly discovery, it is both a fascinating case study and an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of urban sustainability. A clear-eyed view of the struggles of turning knowledge into action, this book illuminates the places where theory and reality converge and presents an approach to municipal development, planning, and governance that takes seriously the urgent need to address climate change and injustice. Addressing a wide variety of topics and themes, including energy, diversity, economic development, and ecological health, Sustainability Matters is both a critique of current practice and a vision for the future that uses the city of Calgary as a microcosm to address issues faced by cities around the world. This is essential reading not only for every Calgarian working for a vibrant and sustainable future, but for all those interested in in the future of cities in a post-carbon world.

This book updates and expands Jackson and Burtons "Mapping the Past, Charting the Future" (1989) and "Leisure Studies: Prospects for the Twenty-First Century" (1999). The need to do so was driven by the significant new developments in the leisure studies field as well as the arrival of new and upcoming experts in specific areas of study. The book features new sections on: Disciplinary Perspectives (including chapters on anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, and economics of leisure); Cognate Area Perspectives (including chapters on leisure, health, and physical activity; leisure and religion/spirituality; sport as leisure; and tourism); International Perspectives (including chapters on leisure in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, East Asia, Europe, Latin America); Diverse Perspectives (including chapters on leisure in terms of youth, family, older adults, immigrants, racial and ethnic groups, the LGBQ community; and people with disabilities). Other book chapters focus on leisure theory; leisure, time, and technology; leisure needs, motivations, and constraints; leisure, place, and social capital; leisure planning, marketing, and management; leisure research methods; and the future of the leisure studies field. Approximately 80% of each chapter summarises the current state of that specific leisure concept, topic, or area, while the remaining 20% dares to speculate imaginatively about where it could (and should) proceed in the future. Both summary and speculation are limited to approximately 6,000 words, as chapter authors were instructed to heed French philosopher Blaise Pascals (1656) oft-cited apology that I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter. While the book maintains the spirit and rigour of Jackson and Burtons earlier books, it also reflects the growth and maturity that has subsequently occurred in the leisure studies field.

A provocative, strategic plan for a humane immigration system from the nation’s leading immigration scholars and activists During the past decade, right-wing nativists have stoked popular hostility to the nation’s foreign-born population, forcing the immigrant rights movement into a defensive posture. In the Trump years, preoccupied with crisis upon crisis, advocates had few opportunities to consider questions of long-term policy or future strategy. Now is the time for a reset. Immigration Matters offers a new, actionable vision for immigration policy. It brings together key movement leaders and academics to share cutting-edge approaches to the urgent issues facing the immigrant community, along with fresh solutions to vexing questions of so-called “future flows” that have bedeviled policy makers for decades. The book also explores the contributions of immigrants to the nation’s identity, its economy, and progressive movements for social change. Immigration Matters delves into a variety of topics including new ways to frame immigration issues, fresh thinking on key aspects of policy, challenges of integration, workers’ rights, family reunification, legalization, paths to citizenship, and humane enforcement. The perfect handbook for immigration activists, scholars, policy makers, and anyone who cares about one of the most contentious issues of our age, Immigration Matters makes accessible an immigration policy that both remediates the harm done to immigrant workers and communities under Trump and advances a bold new vision for the future.