Book examines way to sustainable future - Chronicle Herald

Book examines way to sustainable future - Chronicle Herald

his is a refreshingly Canadian look at how people on this planet have evolved and developed as a society, how the planet has outgrown its ability to sustain itself, and how the global economy has grown and prospered.

The illusion is that although we have reached capacity to feed and support ourselves, we continue to expect our world to sustain growth and expansion.

Mike Nickerson has been interested in sustainability his entire life, so while he may say in his biography that he spent 10 years researching this book, in fact, he has been gathering his evidence much longer than that.

He self-published the first edition of Life, Money and Illusion in 2006 and it was so well received, this updated version was released this past year.

I am in awe of his ability to track his three main themes of human development to global civilization, economic patterns of expansion, and the natural environment’s ability to support and sustain this growth down through the ages until we find ourselves in the present state, where we now consume more than we produce.

Between the covers of this one book, Nickerson has packed a wealth of facts and anecdotes that support the need for a shift in our thinking. While he is a gifted and confident writer, I found myself sometimes overwhelmed by all the information coming at me.

Appropriately enough, I began reading this book shortly after the latest round of climate change talks in Copenhagen and just finished it in the days leading up to our latest federal budget.

Planet Earth is in big trouble. Of that Nickerson is certain, and so will any reader be if we take a close look at our world today.

When we consider our renewable resources, we see the collapse of the East Coast fishery, with other major fisheries around the world harvesting stocks beyond their ability to replenish themselves.

Our forests are being cut down faster than they can regenerate themselves. New housing developments and business parks are not only gobbling agricultural land up, but the soil is being depleted of its natural fertility, a situation that is not reversible.

Metals and minerals are not renewable. They can be recycled but we have a limited supply.

Our supply of fresh water is diminishing, and fossil fuels are expected to last for another 400 years before they are exhausted, and that is considered an optimistic projection.

At first it does sound as if the future looks so bleak we may as well put it out of our minds. However, Nickerson is more optimistic than despairing. Humans are both resourceful and creative and we’ve inhabited this planet for millennia. If we have the will, we certainly have the capacity to accommodate this "full" Earth.

There are many practical ways of reorganizing ourselves, so that we enjoy what living has to offer rather than through material accumulation.

As I listen to pundits debate the new budget, one of Nickerson’s comments reverberates in my mind. He says it would be a disaster if the government significantly paid down the national debt.

"Whether it is owed to private interests or to our national bank, the money we use to trade is almost all created through debt. A great deal of money would disappear from circulation if those debts were paid back, and a depression would likely follow."

Kaye Parker is president of Think Training. Reach her through her personal website: www.kayeparker.ca.