Many people wonder if we, as a global society, are on an unsustainable path. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to think that we are heading straight for the brick wall with no brakes, when we read of increasing global temperatures, rising sea levels, melting polar ice caps, and the like.

I would like to suggest that we have the tools to change the tide; we are able to measure, with an accuracy that was unavailable to us in the past, ecological footprints of various kinds (water, carbon, energy). With these tools, we are able to identify embodied energy that goes into the making of an object; the life cycle assessments of most any object/product that we consume.

It is then up to us to demand that full, true cost accounting be added to the pricing of every product, service, or foodstuff that we consume. It is then that we will see, and fully understand, the true cost of shipping in a product, such as strawberries, from the other side of the world just so we can indulge in a strawberry in the middle of winter, whilst the snow be “ a blowin’ ‘gainst the side of the house”.

However, it is heartening to learn that we are fast approaching Peak Everything. (Jonathan Tomkin “Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation”) The reason I say that is because it means that the global society is fast approaching a level of financial sufficiency where one is not wholly concerned about their next meal, having a roof over their heads, or medical care for their loved ones. (Jeffery Sachs “The Age of Sustainable Development”) It is safe to say that when one’s main concern is to procure the necessities of survival, ecological footprints are the last thing on one’s mind.

I am hopeful that we are approaching that level where, as a global society, we have the necessities that we need, and we are able to make fully informed decisions on how our actions affect others and the planet we live on