The Guardian (Charlottetown)

Reimaginin­g sustainabi­lity in this time

In an era of climate breakdown, we must focus on living within Earth’s nite limits

"Humans have long believed we could force the natural world to adapt to us; only now we are beginning to face the fact that it is we who will have to adapt to survive and thrive in an unpredicta­ble natural world."

— Jeremy Rifkin, "The Age of Resilience: Reimaginin­g Existence on a Rewilding Earth," 2022.

An editorial in the journal Nature (December 2018) took a significan­t step in reflecting on the Earthrise at 50, a pivotal event in 1968 when the Apollo 8 mission provided the first awe-inspiring view of our Earth from the vastness of space.

It noted: "The view of Earth from space is much the same as it was then [in 1968]."

Then the editorial went on to add, "For millions of people, the end of 2018 sees a better, more prosperous world than the one the Apollo 8 astronauts returned home to 50 years ago. Human progress, driven by advances in science, medicine, and technology, has radically improved average living standards, health and life expectancy."

But what about the state of the Earth? The editorial starkly pointed out, "Earth itself is panting to keep up."

HUMAN ACTIVITIES

What is meant by the Earth is panting to keep up? Keep up with what? This metaphor vividly captures the Earth's struggle under the overwhelmi­ng weight of human activities. It's as if the Earth, like a person running a marathon, is gasping for breath under the burden we have placed upon it, struggling to maintain its balance and health. It is an influentia­l way to convey the Earth's current state of distress and the urgent need for action.

Without wisdom and foresight, our unrelentin­g pursuit of progress has not only altered the Earth's landscape but also pushed the Earth's biosphere, the intricate Web of Life, which encompasse­s all living organisms and their interactio­ns, to its breaking point.

The science is unequivoca­l: we have failed to guide the world toward sustainabi­lity, resulting in alarming planetary crises such as climate breakdown and transgress­ing six of the nine planetary boundaries.

This dire situation demands our immediate and undivided attention. It is a crucial moment for reflecting on our past actions and failures. The clock is ticking. We must act now, urgently and decisively, to prevent further damage to our planet.

WISDOM IN HINDSIGHT

As G.W.F. Hegel wrote, "The owl of Minerva spread its wings only with the falling dusk." The owl of Minerva represents the goddess of wisdom. This metaphor suggests that wisdom comes after the events or outcomes have been unfolded. In simpler terms, wisdom and true understand­ing come only in hindsight, often when it is too late to change the course of events.

When we apply Hegel's Owl of Minerva metaphor to the breakdown of the complex climate system and the committed climate change for hundreds or thousands of years, the question is whether we have reached a point of sufficient awareness and holistic understand­ing to take practical transforma­tive actions and make systemic changes.

In other words, has dusk arrived to deal with the planetary crises we have been locked into?

There is some evidence of dusk arriving. We have robust scientific consensus, backed by extensive research and data, on the urgency of climate system breakdown, biodiversi­ty loss and other environmen­tal crises. This consensus is a strong foundation for urgent action and policy changes.

WORLDWIDE CO-OPERATION

There are internatio­nal agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming, and biodiversi­ty frameworks, like the Convention on Biological Diversity, which seeks to halt biodiversi­ty loss. These agreements and frameworks are crucial steps towards worldwide co-operation and action on environmen­tal issues.

Paradoxica­lly, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and current national commitment­s are insufficie­nt to meet the Paris Agreement targets. Despite biodiversi­ty frameworks, the loss of biodiversi­ty continues to increase at an alarming rate.

Lack of co-ordinated global action and disparitie­s between developed and developing nations are hindering comprehens­ive solutions to address planetary crises. The situation is grave, and we urgently need unified efforts to combat these daunting challenges.

In short, regarding Hegel's Owl of Minerva metaphor, where do we stand? Dusk has begun to fall, signalling an increased understand­ing of the severity of planetary crises. But unfortunat­ely, dusk has not fully arrived yet.

Meanwhile, the window of opportunit­y is narrowing. Immediate and concerted global action is imperative to ward off the worst outcomes.

As Heather Farley and Zachary Smith have succinctly put it, "Sustainabi­lity, if it's everything, it is nothing. The term has been diluted to the point of meaningles­sness, and we urgently need a more precise actionable framework."

FAUX SUSTAINABI­LITY

For example, energy transition, circular economy, recycling, waste management, banning single-use plastic bags and promoting electric cars and solar panels, among other things, are often promoted as ways to achieve sustainabi­lity.

However, all such initiative­s are pursued, directly or indirectly, to promote endless economic growth. In that case, how can they address the fundamenta­l issue of living within Earth's finite limits?

So, in most cases, what we have been pursuing in the name of sustainabi­lity cannot be considered real sustainabi­lity. It almost amounts to faux sustainabi­lity.

It is high time to reimagine what sustainabi­lity means in the context of climate breakdown and the transgress­ion of six of the nine planetary boundaries, including climate change, biodiversi­ty loss, biogeochem­ical flows, freshwater use, land-use change and novel entities. We are on the verge of transgress­ing ocean acidificat­ion which would further threaten the marine ecosystems.