Some have called it the 'polycrisis', a confluence of breakdowns in the environment, the climate, and in our social and political structures. The future certainly looks grim.
But there is a way out. It won't be easy, and it may not happen at all, but it is possible...
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Earth will only remain able to provide even a basic standard of living for everyone in the future if economic systems and technologies are dramatically transformed and critical resources are more fairly used, managed and shared, according to an international research team.
Their report, published in the journal Planetary Health, found the planet's ability to provide and protect is being stretched past its limits, although it remains possible for humans to escape poverty and harm caused by these changes if urgent action is taken.
It found the only way to provide for everyone and ensure societies, businesses and economies thrive without destabilizing the planet is to reduce inequalities in how critical Earth system resources, such as freshwater and nutrients, are accessed and used, and how responsibilities, such as reducing carbon emissions, are shared, alongside economic and technological transformation.
By 2050, unless urgent transformations are made, the researchers argue that Earth's climate will deteriorate to the point where there will be no "safe and just space" left.
The researchers say Earth systems face the risk of crossing dangerous tipping points, which would cause further significant harm to people around the world unless energy, food, and urban systems are urgently transformed.
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They don't call their plan #degrowth but it looks very similar to me.
The point is, we can't go on the way we are. We *must* have system change, or we will lose everything.
FULL ARTICLE -- https://phys.org/news/2024-09-outlines-path-prosperity-planet-people.html
#Economics#Science#Environment#Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis
