In Response to The Collapse of Western Civilization

I think Oreskes' The Collapse of Western Civilization is really valuable in how accessible it makes reading about the climate change crisis. The genre she chose is easy to read, and while obviously quite biased against current global treatment of climate change, seems to be inviting the public into the discussion instead of prompting walls to be put up either in defense or offense.  Personally, I also really enjoyed the author's sense of humor. I laughed out loud multiple times, with quotes like "the model for the U.S. National Stability Protection Act of 2025, which led to the conviction and imprisonment of more than three hundred scientists for “endangering the safety and well-being of the general public with unduly alarming threats.'" However, it's funny because it's realistic but not my reality. I found myself thinking about the different paths of history that could branch of from our present- a future like this novel forewarns? Progressive action that helps save our planet? What will prevent or encourage these paths? I found myself thinking specifically quite a bit about the upcoming 2016 presidental election.
One interesting quality that writing about our present as a history is that it has the author pointing out societal flaws, even small ones like the matter of "physical scientists" and "social scientists"  having different titles and esteems, in a very lighthearted, matter-of-fact way that prevents it being read as angry or formulaic, even if it is. I feel like The Collapse of Western Civilization  puts the present in context. I felt like it made me take a step back to remember how small I am in the grand scheme of things. Not in that I don't matter, but in that the world is bigger than I am and that issues are the world is bigger than the chronosphere I'll experience. Furthermore, the enviornment really does impact every portion of the world we experience; this isn't just an issue for the tree-hugging hippies.  By writing it as a history, it is also suggesting that we still have time to change our actions before it's too late.