Sustainability, rebalancing the earth’s biosphere, is a unique challenge for humankind.

For one, it is based in the earth sciences – not exactly what the average person knows or currently cares about. Then the solution has no known “silver bullet” that let’s us buy our way out of it. Third it will take a long, long time to rebalance and for most of that time the situation will worsen with little
Indication that our efforts are doing much good.

OK, I’m tough, I can take it, or so most people believe about themselves.

Regardless, there are three characteristics that will take a lot of re-thinking on most people’s part.

First, we, all of earth’s human inhabitants, are the problem, and we are the solution. It is our behavior that must be modified. This includes:

- Population reduction and negative population growth.
- Using less, or replacing gasoline as the major fuel in cars.
This includes higher mileage vehicles.
- Using “clean coal” or no coal to generate electricity. Switching to
Hydrogen, wind, or water to turn our turbines
- Water conservation and “waterless manufacturing and production”
Processes.
- Massive reforestation. If this is not accomplished quickly, the deforested
Lands will rapidly decay into desert making recovery very difficult.
- Endangered species preservation lest we lose significant diversity

Second, to accomplish the task, no one can “Sit this one out.” Recognize that the most probable solution will come from individual actions like buying decisions, behavioral actions, and compliance actions.
- Buying low wattage light bulbs, air conditioners, furnaces, and Home
Appliances
- Planning shorter trips for daily shopping.
- Driving the highest mileage car you can afford, using a bicycle or walking

That’s the easy part. How do we tell the Amazon tribes that cutting down square miles of forest is counter productive when they see it as a way to feed their families? How do we tell the Chinese to stop building hundreds of coal burning energy plants at a rate near one per day? We’re just beginning to regulate industrial fishing. The reason is the near extinction of major species of “food fish.”

Third, the problem is within our “home.” It is “hitting us where we live.” The threat to humanity is ultimately the existence of the human species. Here I believe that it will take a cluster of large and devastating disasters in large segments of third world countries before they acknowledge the problem. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that the problem of sustaining life - sufficient food, clothing and shelter fall most heavily on poor countries. Doubly so, because those countries are most vulnerable to rising sea levels, pestilence and death caused by global warming. They take a hit on both threats.

Dealing with these problems successfully has not been humanity’s strong suit.
That must be reversed. The reality is that either we find ways to deal with the problem successfully or natures way of “rebalancing” the biosphere will prevail: radicalizing weather, species extinction, melting ice caps, less fresh water and rising temperatures globally. Not a pretty sight. Ultimately it will mean drastic population reductions and just how far that will go depends on our own actions.

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