Today's energy, climate, and government crises are inarguably massive and mounting. Our civilization, our very existence, is threatened. It would be easy to despair, admits author and political scientist Michael P. Byron. But instead he offers the insight, tools, and inspiration we need to create the kind of humane, ecologically sustainable civilization that can endure for generations.

In "The Path Through Infinity's Rainbow," Byron examines the causes, consequences, and interrelationships of current crises, including global warming and extreme weather, peak oil and its effect on our food...