ABSTRACT
In the last several chapters I have focused on unsustainable trends and looming crises. The dominant theme has been that economic growth (of the standard kind) is now being expected to solve the very problems that it has largely created. These problems are not independent; nor can they be solved independently; they are tightly interlinked. The prospect for business as usual is gloomy. But is our situation hopeless? The answer to this is ‘no’. Eco-restructuring is needed, without doubt. 1 There will be many difficulties. But humans are an ingenious, adaptable race. We have the intelligence to analyze alternatives and the collective ability to look ahead. I see this as a time of opportunity. For the first time in history, it seems to me, we humans are beginning to develop the knowledge, institutions and policy instruments to enable us to take control of our own destiny. This is a grand generalization, admittedly. It needs a good deal of justification and many caveats. The knowledge and policy instruments I mention are far from fully developed. Nevertheless, I think we can begin the process of identifying feasible technological paths and, above all, least cost strategies – if not win-win strategies – for conversion to a sustainable path. This chapter and the next two focus not on problems as such, but on possible strategies for change.
