Last updated on November 9th, 2025 at 12:08 pm

Book

Rifkin, J 2011, The third industrial revolution: How lateral power is transforming energy, the economy, and the world, St. Martin’s Griffin, New York.

Overview

The Industrial Revolution, powered by oil and other fossil fuels, is spiraling into a dangerous endgame. The price of gas and food are climbing, unemployment remains high, the housing market has tanked, consumer and government debt is soaring, and the recovery is slowing. Facing the prospect of a second collapse of the global economy, humanity is desperate for a sustainable economic game plan to take us into the future.

Here, Jeremy Rifkin explores how Internet technology and renewable energy are merging to create a powerful “Third Industrial Revolution.” He asks us to imagine hundreds of millions of people producing their own green energy in their homes, offices, and factories, and sharing it with each other in an “energy internet,” just like we now create and share information online.

Rifkin describes how the five-pillars of the Third Industrial Revolution will create thousands of businesses, millions of jobs, and usher in a fundamental reordering of human relationships, from hierarchical to lateral power, that will impact the way we conduct commerce, govern society, educate our children, and engage in civic life.

Rifkin’s vision is already gaining traction in the international community. The European Union Parliament has issued a formal declaration calling for its implementation, and other nations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, are quickly preparing their own initiatives for transitioning into the new economic paradigm.

The Third Industrial Revolution is an insider’s account of the next great economic era, including a look into the personalities and players — heads of state, global CEOs, social entrepreneurs, and NGOs — who are pioneering its implementation around the world. (GoodReads | Third Industrial Revolution)

Contents of book by chapter/section

Part I: The Third Industrial Revolution

1. The Real Economic Crisis Everyone Missed
2. A New Narrative
3. Turning Theory into Practice

Part II: Lateral Power

4. Distributed Capitalism
5. Beyond Right and Left
6. From Globalisation to Continentalism 

Part III: The Collaborative Age

7. Retiring Adam Smith
8. A Classroom Makeover
9. Morphing from the Industrial Age to the Collaborative Age

Biography of Author

Jeremy Rifkin is an American economic and social theorist, writer, public speaker, political advisor, and activist. Rifkin is the author of 21 bestselling books about the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. The books have been translated into more than 35 languages. His most recent books include the international bestsellers, The Age of Resilience (2022), The Green New Deal (2019), The Zero Marginal Cost Society (2014), The Third Industrial Revolution (2011), The Empathic Civilization (2010), The European Dream (2004), The Hydrogen Economy (2002), The Age of Access (2000), The Biotech Century (1998), and The End of Work (1995). (FOET | Jeremy Rifkin)

Video

In this 1.5 hour YouTube video hosted by VICE, Jeremy Rifkin discusses how the threat of climate change requires a third industrial revolution.

Where to find

This book is available at Libraries SA: Third Industrial Age, as well as other books by the same author.

Where to buy

The Third Industrial Age is available through online and local book resellers.

References

• The Foundation on Economic Trends 2025, Jeremy Rifkin, viewed on 2 December, 2018, <https://foet.org/about/jeremy-rifkin/>. This page provides biographical information about Jeremy Rifkin.
• Goodreads 2025, The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power Is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World, viewed on 2 December, 2018, <https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11104082-the-third-industrial-revolution?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=kj3Lpt4ZqE&rank=2>. This page provides information about the 2011 book by Jeremy Rifkin: The Third Industrial Revolution, including a description of the book.
• Libraries SA 2025, Jeremy Rifkin, viewed on 2 December, 2018, <https://onecard.network/client/en_AU/sapubliclibraries/search/results?qu=Jeremy+Rifkin&te=>. This library search yields a list of books by Jeremy Rifkin which are available through Libraries SA.
• Vice 2018, The Third Industrial Revolution: A Radical New Sharing, viewed on 2 December, 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX3M8Ka9vUA>. This 1.5 YouTube video presented by Jeremy Rifkin discusses the requirement for a third industrial revolution, which incorporates renewable energy and the Internet of Things to drive economic change.