The capitalist world-system is declining in effectiveness and some might even say it is antithetical to present and future human development. Few see it ending abruptly but becoming increasingly dysfunctional in maintaining the stability of the planet and social system over the near and long-term. The idealized notion of capitalism has morphed into predatory corporate capitalism and may be entering a period of self-consumption. The capitalist system survives because it externalizes its waste onto the land, into the water, and the atmosphere and pillages the world’s resources at an unsustainable rate. Additionally, a few individuals now capture most of the fruits of humanity’s labour. The problem our economies face today is not the lack in production of enough goods and services to satisfy human needs but with their overuse and unequal distribution of the income produced by their production and consumption. The task for society today is to create a suitable replacement for this destructive behaviour. Part 1 of this book surveys the five major threats facing humanity today: climate change, inequality and poverty, new technologies, migration, and globalization. Part 2 moves from identifying the problems to solving them, with chapters examining the ability of the present world-system to address these issues and outlining a process for action.