[Back to Challenges]

The Issues

Let's be clear about the nature of the physical challenges we face.

• The Earth:
• Global Climate Change
• Pollution - both chemicals and plastics
• Fresh water - increasing demand and decreasing supply
• The Biosphere:
• Loss of biodiversity
• Mass extinction - both species and genera
• Ocean warming and acidification, leading (amongst other things) to the death of vital coral reefs.
• Species migration - including human migration
• Antibiotic resistance
• Loss of topsoil
• The Human Race
• Overpopulation - and the consequences of ageing populations
• Unrestricted economic growth
• Pandemics, currently the Covid-19 Pandemic 

There is a short (under 20 minutes) video by Economics Explained which summarizes many of these issues: MIT Has Predicted that Society Will Collapse in 2040.

The Solutions

These proposals to address the physical world problems are (to a first approximation anyway) all necessary. We can't just pick one and think we have 'done our bit' - we have to do all of them, or the world as we know it does not survive.

• Energy
• Farming (and growing things, generally)
• Water
• Finance
• Manufacturing
• What is manufactured
• Where it is manufactured
• Plastics
• Poisonous chemicals
• Transport

 About antibiotic resistance: Study shows small animals use 'stolen' genes from bacteria to protect against infection.