Our Common Future: 20 years later, it's a joke

Gawd knows that I'm busy, too busy in fact to take the time to update my blog. (It's a shame, really, I quite enjoy writing.) Perhaps it's the fact that nothing has happened lately that has motivated me to write. But something did happen to change that.

I read a story in the International Herald Tribune entitled "UN issues 'final wake-up call' on population and environment" outlining the fourth report in the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-4) assessment which was published back in October 2007. (Why write about it now?)

The article mentioned that it was over 20 years since Gro Harlem Brundtland's landmark report Our Common Future was published. I didn't dissect the article, just skimmed over it, and realized that things really haven't changed, at least not in a way that that would substantially reduce mankind's impact on the global ecosystem. In fact, things are worse, and it's not hard to see that given the way things are going that we are going to deplete fish stocks on which we depend, eliminate biodiversity in much of the world, reduce forests to tree nurseries, and increase the rate of climate change. That's if things don't change. Predictably, the article reports:

"The program described its report, which is prepared by 388 experts and scientists, as the broadest and deepest of those that the UN issues on the environment and called it 'the final wake-up call to the international community.'"

Hah. "Final wake-up call" indeed! How many more "final wake-up calls" will we need, collectively, before we take action? Too many, since I think that things will have to get worse, a LOT worse, before any real action will be taken. And by that time, it will be too late.

I realize that in the 20 years since Bruntland's report, the only thing that changed was me. Twenty years ago, I was optimistic. I had faith in people, and that decision-makers would act with foresight and in the best interest of all.

Since then, I've learned a little bit about human nature and about politics. I now realize that nothing can beat 99% of people's appetite for apathy and greed, and that everyone is in it for themselves. And the 99% of the remaining 1% who think that they can "make a difference" in the world are simply deluding themselves since they cannot carry out any real effective action. And that little that remains (the 1% of 1%) that CAN make a difference, will get corrupted, co-opted or otherwise brought into line with the group-think of the decision-makers.

All this to say is that I'm betting that, in about 50 years time, mankind will be on the "endangered species list."

'nuff said. Time to get back to work.