
'The thinking it took to get us into this mess is not the same thinking that is going to get us out of it.' Albert Einstein. Photograph: Corbis
By Jo Confino
Guardian Professional Network
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 7 September 2011
It is easier to point out the problems than find a systemic solution, but it is vital that we are able to articulate a better future
In the next few days I am taking part in a debate with the minister of state for energy and climate change, Charles Hendry, on the subject of whether economic growth is incompatible with sustainable development.[snip]
Much of the current sustainability debate is based on an acceptance of the existing capitalist system as it is. We rarely re-evaluate at a deep level what it is we are seeking to achieve as a society and whether the existing structures are helping or hindering.
As a result, solutions to the multitude of problems we face, from climate change and biodiversity loss to resource and water scarcity, tend to be built around iterative change.
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