Toward a sustainable world.

To avert the threats of the environmental crisis most of the worlds population must change its behavior. Even though climactic change models have convinced many scientists of the likelihood degree and limits of environmental threats people do not understand them let alone being willing to change behavior to avert distant threats. Unlike the agricultural and industrial revolutions the revolution needed to achieve sustainable development must involve a fully deliberate operation guided by foresight. Governmental and private policy must steer this revolution. We must tighten the alliance between science and policy. We must adopt new beliefs such as humans are not separate from nature and depend on its finite natural resources. In addition economic activity must consider environmental costs of production. Sustainable development must include all humans particularly the poor. Industrial democracies have sometimes found it difficult to overcome political constraints to longterm sustainability. Yet they have at times assumed shortterm burdens to achieve longterm goals. For example the US Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War II (almost 3% of US gross domestic project) resulted in increased wealth of the European nations. A similar investment of monies in developing countries is needed. The US should restructure many existing environmental regulations from a command and control system to an incentive-based system. Government and industry policy must include improving energy efficiency via market incentives. Direct regulation is still needed however when the market does not address the problems. The 3 things needed to bring the environment and sustainable development to the forefront are investment in the UN Environment Programme; collection analysis and distribution of information; and integrated effort.