Dr. Ross McCluney, a nationally recognized Principal Research Scientist in the 
Buildings Research Division at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), is teaching a 
unique course at the University of Central Florida this semester (UCF).

"Humanity's Environmental Future" is the title of the new multi-disciplinary course 
he started at UCF last fall. The course comprehensively examines the wide variety of 
difficult energy, environmental and socio-economic problems facing humanity as it 
struggles toward a sustainable future.  McCluney wrote a 427-page textbook 
specifically for the course, which is offered through UCF's Department of 
Philosophy.  

The UCF course differs from the usual environmental ethics course in its 
wide-ranging content and scope, including lectures on the nature and measurement of 
growth, the role of science in deciding issues in dispute, the central importance of 
energy in determining humanity's future, the influence of values and beliefs on 
behavior, the nature of creativity and the importance of cosmology and world-views. 
 McCluney addresses these issues head-on, examines their causes, and provides a 
variety of suggestions for reform. A major conclusion is that misplaced values and 
beliefs both drive humanity toward environmental disaster and prevent us from taking 
sufficiently comprehensive actions to stop the unrelenting destruction.

On January 7, he presented a paper at the College Teaching and Learning Conference 
at Disney World, describing the course and the textbook he has written.  For more 
information on this unique program, visit www.futureofhumanity.org/.

The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central 
Florida, is the largest and most active state-supported energy research center in 
the country.  Current research activities include solar water and pool heating, 
solar electric and distributed generation systems, energy-efficient buildings, 
alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel, and other energy areas. For more 
information, call the FSEC Public Information Office at (321) 638-1015 or go to 
www.fsec.ucf.edu.                                          
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