Change

If only we could change the way we live and consume as easily as we have changed the atmosphere on which life relies. As the devastating cyclone last week in New Zealand shows, experiencing Earth’s collapsing systems is becoming normal around the world since we entered the Anthropocene epoch.

Burning cheap fossil fuels that change the atmosphere and heat the earth is how we became so rich at the expense of the living world.

Changing our consumer behaviour to reduce carbon emissions could reverse climate catastrophe but only if we reduce the total global ecological footprint by 75%. This is because humans are calculated to be consuming the equivalent of 175% of the planet’s resources. This has caused ecological overshoot.

Climate change is one symptom of this overshoot.

After years of denial and obstruction by vested interests an atmosphere among enlightened citizens is demanding deep systems change toward a regenerative model of progress - the only way to avoid catastrophic collapse.

Will our leaders follow?