As we use more of our Earth’s dwindling natural resources, we must plan for a future that will be very different from our past. This is not a political choice, it is a fact of life. We cannot “vote” for more resources, or “vote” CO2 out of our atmosphere. We must take concrete action to accomplish these things over a very long period. Fossil fuels will not be as available and cheap for much longer, and they are even at this point contributing to climate change at an unprecedented rate. At the same time that the population of the world is increasing at the fastest rate in history, the planet is running out of good land, fresh water, and many other essential resources that simply cannot be recreated. Conservation is the key word, and this implies adaptability and sacrifice. It cannot be ignored. New technology will help, but will not completely solve these problems. We believe in economic growth, but the unsustainable growth of the past and present will not carry us into the future. Financial sustainability is also essential, and that cannot be built upon ever-increasing deficits and junk-consumerism.
