The global predicament: radical implications for design

Abstract

Although there has been a rapid increase in awareness that the world is running into major problems, the magnitude and significance of this are not well understood by officials or the general public. When some commonly available facts and estimates are examined, it becomes clear that rich world per capita rates of resource consumption and ecological impacts are far beyond those that could be sustained when generalized to all people. It is argued here that the magnitude of the overshoot is so great that it is not plausible that technical advances, or conservation efforts, could eliminate problems of global sustainability and justice while the fundamental commitments of the current consumer society remain, that is, the pursuit of affluent living standards and economic growth within a market system. If this perspective on our global situation is valid, then radical implications for a range of concerns to do with the design of a sustainable and just society follow.