The King Has No Clothes!
(Originally published on TRST.com)

I am tired of reading and hearing sugarcoated, optimistic, upbeat stories about the environment. If your house is on fire you don't admire the colors in the flames or cheer when only half the house is lost. Why is it so difficult to face terrible truths and feel the pain that should be felt. We should be mourning for what has been lost.

The sustainable development movement is a leader in this sugar coating. I see too many words written about sustainability and sustainable development that make it sound like we can create a sustainable society without sacrifice and fundamental changes in "Western" culture. I believe these words create a false sense of security. The fundamental changes that must take place are upsetting, they will affect our jobs, our homes, and our lifestyles. And they are unpopular.

By the time people realize that change must come the changes could be terribly painful, and for many species, too late. Are we running out of time? Not because we will suddenly find ourselves in deep trouble-we are already there though we do not recognize it. But, are we running out of time to make changes in a thoughtful and rational manner against the huge momentum propelling us?

One of the greatest attributes of the human species is its ability to persevere in the face of huge difficulties. Look at the diverse climates and ecosystems that people live in: deserts to sub-arctic to rainforests, and cities like New York City to small suburban towns like Chagrin Falls, Ohio or farming communities like Peculiar, Missouri. In most situations people are trading one amenity for another. We have learned to do without, to get by, to hang in there, to survive at all costs. These are wonderful attributes, but they may also be our downfall. We can put up with a great deal of environmental degradation and still survive. Of course, our quality of life declines, but we can survive that, too.

These acts of survival would be fine if the decisions were conscious and only affected our species, but this approach affects all other life on our earth and, long term, the survival of much of the earth's human population. Will it take a catastrophe for us to take action? Has the catastrophe already occurred? Our part of the history of humankind is a very short one. What will be written a thousand years from now about our time. Will there be a paragraph that sums it up this way: "The people of the late 20th century and early 21st century were aware that they were threatening their survival and ending the lives of many other species on earth, but they did not take the actions necessary to achieve sustainability. It took major calamities and the resulting social disintegration to force real change."

Real change is not recycling or car pooling. Real change is living in a place that supplies most of what is needed for daily life. Real change is matching population to carrying capacity - how many people can this place support at a "reasonable" quality of life. Yes, population - the fundamental reason sustainability is an issue. Population and culture drive consumption of resources. We most change both to be on the road to sustainability. Change our culture so that it consumes less and limit the growth in population. These are the tough choices people must make for there to be real change.

And, if we do not have the forethought or courage to make these choices, it will be thrust upon us from the unsustainable foundation we have established.