When should global citizenry aim for fully-sustainable, zero-environmental-impact business practices, government policies, and consumer behavior?
Right now, says Alex Steffen at WorldChanging.org.
At the moment, he seems to be a lonely voice. Most of the climate change mitigation forecasts I analyze in my work here at S)T base their models on a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to reach some multiple of pre-industrial levels of atmospheric carbon. The common thinking is that doing anything to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and environmental destruction--even if it's just a little--is better than doing nothing. With a few exceptions, almost no reports from governments or major policy organizations seriously examine the idea of achieving sustainability on a broad scale.
However, Mr. Steffen makes a compelling point--that only doing "something" may no longer be good enough. If most of the things we do, the way we live, and the things we make are unsustainable, then it's only reasonable that the aggregate effect of adding more people to the globe every year while only making marginal improvements towards sustainability could simply be that nothing really changes.
And he draws a sobering conclusion about the future: by definition, if something is unsustainable, then it is sure to come to an end. In the long run, that could include us humans.
Image: (c) 2008 JupiterImages Corp.
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