Now that we understand how the planet came to be unsustainable, it is time to think about how we will get to a new, more sustainable, world. Capitalism, optimization, and ignorance led to unsuitability. We must reverse these to achieve sustainability. A sustainable world will require social justice. The world will not be sustainable until we close disconnects and ensure that all humans have the same basic rights. We also need to change our ways of thinking, looking for resilience instead of optimization. And finally, we need to educate everyone. Only by understanding how ecosystems work, and how our current system is unsustainable can we start to move toward a better future. These changes will need to happen across all scales, from each individual, to the largest multi-national organizations. Some of the changes that need to happen to move to a more sustainable world aline very closely with the views of the world-views put forth by Clapp and Dauvergne. For example, the ideas of stronger international organizations alines closely with the Institutionalist perspective. The idea of growth not necessarily being better is indicative of the Social Green and Bio-environmentalist worldview. And, ideas of social justice are key to the Social Green perspective. By combining thinking from across numerous disciplines, such as political science, ecology, economics, and psychology, we can create a path to a sustainable future.

To learn about a case study that shows how we can begin to move toward a sustainable future, read about the Shanghai Tower!

Sources

Clapp, Jennifer, and Peter Dauvergne. Paths to a Green World: the Political Economy of the Global Environment. MIT Press, 2011.

Dauvergne, Peter. The Shadows of Consumption: Consequences for the Global Environment. MIT Press, 2010.

Ehrenfeld, John. “Sustainability Redefined: Setting a Goal of a Flourishing World.” MIT Sloan Management Review, 2018.

Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. Broadway Books, 2010.

Raskin, Paul. “World Lines: A Framework for Exploring Global Pathways.” Ecological Economics, 4 Mar. 2008.

Rosenbaum, Walter A. Environmental Politics and Policy. SAGE/CQ Press, 2017.

Walker, Brian, and David Salt. Resilience Thinking Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Island Press, 2006.