Perhaps because I am a professional pessimist,, I am increasingly persuaded by the apocalyptic visions of Thomas Homer Dixon. After more than 30 years labouring for environmental protection, in the company of many good people, I find it heartbreaking that we have achieved so little. Worse, so much of what we actually do is unimportant. And some of it is positively harmful.
Homer-Dixon can rhyme off the risks as well as anyone and better than most, so I am glad to see that he still has some hope. He also posts some wonderful resources on his website. Here is a 13 page article on complexity science and public policy, then I would like to see read by every regulator in the country. And it’s great to know that some simple things, like eating local food, really can help.