Survey – Is Our Way of Life Sustainable?
Here are various propositions concerning the sustainability of our economy, our use of energy, and our overall way of life. Please rate your level of agreement with each. Thanks very much.
1. The global economy will probably recover after the resolution of the U.S. recession, the European debt
crisis, and other immediate woes and a period of sustained growth is likely to follow.
2. Technological innovation will outpace population growth, the depletion of resources, and man’s
impact on the natural environment.
3. Mankind will gain a better understanding of the impact it’s made on the natural environment,
which will significantly raise awareness of our need to reduce, re-use, and recycle – as well as drive
innovation in clean tech.
4. We’re likely to enter a sustained period of negative economic growth, created by our civilization’s
having “hit the wall” with respect to scarcities in energy, water, and food, which are likely to have
horrific consequences in the forms of wars, social chaos, and class divisiveness.
5. Yes, such scarcities are likely, but they will force everyone, rich and poor, to do more with less. But
that’s really not such a bad thing, as it will force us all closer to nature, hard work, and the roots of true happiness.
6. We’re very likely to experience one or more cataclysms of Biblical proportions between now and
2015: a huge nuclear accident, clear evidence of a runaway rise in Earth’s temperature and sea levels, a
complete meltdown in the international banking system, “World War III,” or something of that scale.
7. Though things may get bad, human dignity and kindness will prevail, as exemplified by the aftermath of 9/11, where the incidence of mutual support was hundreds of times greater than that of looting. I.e., in situations like these, people are far more likely to help one another than to take advantage of them.
* When you have completed the survey, please click here, and enter a sentence or two (more if you like) that summarizes your vision of the most likely future that mankind faces over the coming few decades.
