Vox Populi:

A new framework for planetary health reveals that our Industrial Age mindset—not human needs—is the real driver of environmental collapse.

The Global Environmental Outlook (GEO), compiled by the member states of the United Nations, reports on a range of planetary disasters, including coral reef bleaching, species loss, wildfires, extreme weather events, melting glaciers, and the decline of polar ice. It is all very alarming. We are told that agriculture, power plants, industry, and construction are the cause. Does this mean we stop eating? Must we turn the lights out? Do we stop wearing clothes and living in buildings?

Reading more carefully, we find a deeper line to follow. Yes, agriculture causes harm, but we waste one-third of the food we produce. Yes, energy production causes massive emissions, but we waste 67 percent of the electrical energy we produce. Yes, manufacturing and industry cause harm, but more than 90 percent of what we extract is wasted, with only 7.2 percent of it being recycled and making its way back into the economy. Cutting material consumption by one-third is key to tackling climate change. And yes, construction is devastating, but we are overbuilt globally in both residential and office spaces.

Our centralized Industrial Age mindset has played a significant role in degrading the planet. But it’s not too late. By shifting our thinking and empowering local action, we can begin to heal the Earth.

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