Will We Succeed in Creating a Sustainable Earth?

As our population continues to increase at an exponential rate, the future for humans stands on trembling ground. Within a couple generations, we will see the end of the resources that our everyday lives depend on and will outgrow the 510,072,000 kilometers² of the earths surface. If there is anything to be done about this issue it must begin now and target our existing cities and way of life. Our communities must transform into sustainable developments and be able to accommodate the certain growth in population.

Cities must be targeted with priority for several reasons. First, the worlds urban population has blown up and an estimated 70% of people will live in cities by the end of this century. Also, most resources are consumed within cities and therefore, the most indirect and direct pollution in produced there as well. When looking at this particular problem however, our path splits. The problems that will be faced by developing nations will be tremendously different from those faced by the developed nations.

Focusing on developed areas, problems will occur with urban sprawl, increased resource use and the pollution that will follow. Concepts such as New Urbanism and Smart Growth emphasize anti-sprawl and sustainable growth techniques. A rewarding example of urban planning has occurred in Portland, Oregon where population has grown by 50% since the 1970’s, with only a 2% growth in land area.

The solution to this problem will not be solved by ingenious urban-planning alone. We must maintain a population size, as exponential growth will only lead to a catastrophic plunge and a finite amount of space cannot be expected to support an infinite population. We must develop and participate in a cyclical production-consumption-waste process. We must take ultimate advantage of our technology and renewable energy and focus on becoming as energy self-sufficient as possible. We cannot continue to destroy our natural landscape, we must preserve green space, wildlife habitat and employ the practices of permaculture.

The knowledge on how to fix the problems we have created is not the issue, it is the initiative. As prices of non-renewable resources climb and health decreases due to air pollution, water contamination and chemical pesticide, it use will drive even the most unaware to acknowledge the problem at hand. The problem that may eventually triumph may not be our disregard, or our incapability, or our lack of initiative but the fact that we have let so much sand slip through our hourglass.