Sunday, April 22, 2012

Global Leadership and Bio-literacy


Economic growth can only happen within a stable society, and societies can only thrive when they are linked to vibrant ecosystems. Before we became aware of the interconnectedness of global coexistence, nations only cared about their isolated "sustainability". Ignorance was bliss. Today we know better. If we pretend to achieve economic growth by degrading our ecosystem, we are digging a deeper hole therefore significantly reducing the likelihood of ecosystems to become vibrant again. 
In terms of sustainable development, all countries are developing, none is developed. All human actions have two likely impacts on the ecosystem: degradation or regeneration. If the global economy obtains 100% of its industrial inputs from nature, then ecological degradation implies reduced economic value for all. 
To solve economic crises and eradicate poverty all leaders of the world -public and private, corporate and social, political and cultural- must become bio-literate. That is, to be able to understand and explain the cycle of life of the global ecosystem. Only through this understanding will they be able to positively influence their communities towards the transformation that will help human civilization shift from being ecologically degradating to ecologically regenerative.

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