ABSTRACT
Visions and ethics of the “good life” preach sufficiency or frugality to correct wasteful lifestyles. Because of their normative character they could not provide a unifying approach to changing our values and behavior. Consequently ad-hoc responses to the worst symptoms of environmental and social decline prevail in a “muddle-through” approach. Attempts at policy integration by means of international conferences and conventions produce long lists of goals and targets for governmental policies. They are taken up selectively only by national policies. The international “community” did not agree therefore on a common Earth Charter and opted for a weaker Earth Initiative. A recently established global High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development can hardly be expected to install real global governance. Current attempts at reversing globalization might slow it down but are unlikely to undo it. The use of integrated environmental–economic accounts might lead to more integrative policies.
