Well it's not just economic, there are cultural barriers. American consumerism and the desire for big gas guzzling vehicles, the desire to drive over all else, or environmentally hazardous Asian fishing practices, or whatever the local poison may be.
I think one of the big first steps that is feasible in the next 20-30 years is a big change to more efficient public transit, such as high speed rail, electric cars, and reduce the US use of coal power. Get consumers use to more efficient/clean ways of getting around an clean up the power sources for the electricity they are using while doing so. The cultural barrier needs to change there. Businesses need to cooperate in that regard and attitudes about driving need to change slightly. Better planning of new communities so that more people grow up in mixed use areas that put an emphasis on walking will also help. This is a positive trend amongst some West and East Coast urban planners. Suburban sprawl needs to go away as it encourages unsustainable living--the need for multiple cars, stocking up on mass produced and processed foods, traveling long distances for everything, sedentary lifestyles (no walking) etc.
Food presents the bigger issue to me. Mass farming of all kinds--agriculture, fisheries, dairy--is a huge source of carbon emissions and environmental problems of all sorts, not to mention increasing health problems. The culture barrier is here also but the organic craze/fad or whatever you want to call it was in my opinion an example of how you chip away at these barriers. Even though some of it is not really what it is chalked up to be. What I don't know is how we can continue to produce "natural" foods, like, for instance, wild caught fish, for an ever increasing population. I assume there are sustainable ways to farm or mass produce food, I also assume that they are more expensive. I suspect that diets may need to change. I know American diets could use a big shift. Once again, businesses can aid in this change but we need a consumer push for it, ala the Organic craze.
As for China and India though, I don't know. While I am not a huge fan of cap and trade we need to develop some sort of international means of curbing emissions. Better monitoring would be a welcome start and we are already seeing that in volunteer cap and trade programs like Chicago's exchange program, or mandatory ones proposed by the EPA and California. Modern improvements in energy usage and food production will probably have to start in Europe and the US and more developed parts of Asia like Japan and Korea.
Water I am totally in the dark about but I know we will face a water shortage in many parts of the world. Yemen, for instance, is nearly dry and its ancient wells are being used on totally wasteful Khat farming, while the country is also sporting a totally unsustainable high birth rate that spells future doom and gloom.
I think one of the big first steps that is feasible in the next 20-30 years is a big change to more efficient public transit, such as high speed rail, electric cars, and reduce the US use of coal power. Get consumers use to more efficient/clean ways of getting around an clean up the power sources for the electricity they are using while doing so. The cultural barrier needs to change there. Businesses need to cooperate in that regard and attitudes about driving need to change slightly. Better planning of new communities so that more people grow up in mixed use areas that put an emphasis on walking will also help. This is a positive trend amongst some West and East Coast urban planners. Suburban sprawl needs to go away as it encourages unsustainable living--the need for multiple cars, stocking up on mass produced and processed foods, traveling long distances for everything, sedentary lifestyles (no walking) etc.
Food presents the bigger issue to me. Mass farming of all kinds--agriculture, fisheries, dairy--is a huge source of carbon emissions and environmental problems of all sorts, not to mention increasing health problems. The culture barrier is here also but the organic craze/fad or whatever you want to call it was in my opinion an example of how you chip away at these barriers. Even though some of it is not really what it is chalked up to be. What I don't know is how we can continue to produce "natural" foods, like, for instance, wild caught fish, for an ever increasing population. I assume there are sustainable ways to farm or mass produce food, I also assume that they are more expensive. I suspect that diets may need to change. I know American diets could use a big shift. Once again, businesses can aid in this change but we need a consumer push for it, ala the Organic craze.
As for China and India though, I don't know. While I am not a huge fan of cap and trade we need to develop some sort of international means of curbing emissions. Better monitoring would be a welcome start and we are already seeing that in volunteer cap and trade programs like Chicago's exchange program, or mandatory ones proposed by the EPA and California. Modern improvements in energy usage and food production will probably have to start in Europe and the US and more developed parts of Asia like Japan and Korea.
Water I am totally in the dark about but I know we will face a water shortage in many parts of the world. Yemen, for instance, is nearly dry and its ancient wells are being used on totally wasteful Khat farming, while the country is also sporting a totally unsustainable high birth rate that spells future doom and gloom.
