Planetary Futures

This chapter brings to a conclusion the many themes of this book, framed as a forward-looking speculation about an unknowable but undoubtedly precarious future for the planet and its inhabitants. It is not a summing-up so much as an epilogue—a reflection on the research journey the writer has undertaken, his apprehensions about the geopolitical and social implications of recent events, and ways the creative arts might respond. Within a somewhat despairing speculation about these possibilities, lies a kernel of hope that the work of artists may remain meaningful to the world, and may continue, in the words of Toni Morrison, ‘to turn sorrow into meaning’.