Dear Editors,

 

George Monbiot is right when he writes in today’s (Tuesday's) Guardian (Goodbye, kind world) that the truth about global warming is hard to accept - since doing so would mean facing up to the inherent non-sustainability of our economy and way of life and to the imperative for rapid, radical changes to both (and prerequisitely to many of the values, attitudes and aspirations which underlie them).

 

Our society, civilization, is quite literally addicted to its growth-dependent economy and materialistic lifestyles, which makes us all but blind to the fact that we are destroying the basis of our own existence by plundering our planet, placing a non-sustainable drain and strain on its finite resources and carrying capacity.

 

But it is no use pointing the finger of blame at the rich and powerful; that just causes them to withdraw even further into denial; and besides, we are all to blame - for continuing to accept (because failing to recognise) our "more animal than human" nature as the main basis for our non-sustainable economy, lifestyles and aspirations.

 

Analogous to someone with a life-threatening addiction or disease, facing up to the truth about our situation is difficult and very frightening. It is very tempting and so much easier to remain in a state of denial, especially when there are so many doctors (politicians, economists, industrialists, advertisers etc. etc.), not to mention our own short-sighted self-interests, encouraging us to do so.

 

We have to stop blaming and start saving ourselves – in the only way possible, by initiating the greatest and most rapid revolution in human history (the 20th Century should have taught us how NOT to go about it), creating a society (an economy and lifestyles) based not on our “more animal than human” nature, as at present, but on our more enlightened, far less competitive and materialistic, human nature.

 

The resistance to changing existing, non-sustainable society is far to great, since we all have our own particular vested interests in it (social status, jobs, pension funds, stocks and shares, etc. etc.), which is why we prefer pointing the finger of blame and need for change at others.

 

The solution is for those of us who are not in denial to stop trying to reform or revolutionise existing society, and instead to work on creating an alternative, within and parallel to it.  This will minimise resistance. Those who do not choose to participate (because they have not yet come out of denial, feel they have too much to lose, or whatever) do not have to, and we don’t waste our time and energy trying to persuade or force them. Most people, I am sure, when they finally come out of denial and recognise the peril we are in, will want to participate.

 

As the alternative, sustainable societies (their diverse cultures, economies and ways of life) grow, it will be possible for us to transfer more and more of our dependency and activity from the old to the new. It will be a bit like changing boats at sea, from one, luxuriously fitted out, but rapidly sinking, to one that is less luxurious, but will stay afloat (is sustainable). We have a few years (perhaps two or three decades) in which to complete the change (the most important revolution in human history), but because of its magnitude and the numbers of people involved there is no time to lose.

 

While globally society "simply" needs to be sustainable and peaceable, the many particular societies which constitute it should be as diverse as possible. I have my own particular vision of sustainable society which, perhaps vainly but appropriately, I call "Roger's World", on the details of which I am still working.