Is Global Civilization Failing and is there Hope? Yes to Both!
June 29, 2011 at 07:35AM Watch Thom Hartman's 15-minute video clip interview with Lester Brown (if you subscribe to Linked-In's Natural Step group, go here to participate in the discussion. (also, see part 1 below; there is a 12 minute part 2 also).
Yes, global civilizations is failing, emphatically, unequivocally. However, the question is not whether global civilization is failing, but whether we can chart a new course in time amidst the increasing constraints of climate detribalization and the acceleratingcological-economic-social stresses.
Lester Brown is one of many who have done a great job of connecting the dots of the evolving systemic global sustainability challenge over the past 50+ years and illuminating the false positive-prosperity future in which most people believe patriotically, that is Plan A, Business as Usual (BAU).
But he, and others, have done more. They have also illuminated Plan B, the path of hopeful possibility. In that path, humanity changes course from BAU by using the accumulated fruits of BAU to date (intelligence, capital, and institutional and political capacity) to invent the path to a new future of ecologically empowered durable economic prosperity and security.
The only real question left is whether we will do Plan B or continue to "muddle through" into the increasingly harsh and brutal world of BAU and our civilization's ultimate collapse, likely in this century, likely sooner rather than later.
The jury is out. It is not promising, but there is a chance for success. As Donella Meadows used to say on this point, "there is just enough time if we start now!" So we need to educate ourselves with a powerful understanding of the sustainability challenge and get to work in our respective domains of activity and influence.
Of course, the above formulation of Lester Brown et. al., is nothing new to those trained in The Natural Step strategic sustainability planning methodology and framework, where it is succinctly presented in the metaphor of the funnel (challenge) and the ABCD sustainability game (hope and method for charting the Plan B new course).
The Hartman video clip is an accessible and adequately presentation of the challenge and the hope. There is a full 1.5 hr documentary available now of Lester Brown's book. You can watch it for free here and can go here to download the PDF version of the book.
Happy Plan "B"ing!
