Maybe Survival Means Sacrificing our Freedom of Choice

The paper is an invited comment to a paper of Lord Martin Rees, presindent of the Royal Society, which has as a title "Why the end of the world might be nigh" . I argue that many indicators show that the world seems to be on an explosive track: global population growth, greenhouse gas emissions, depletion of natural resources, the world has become less stable because less complex. Whereas before a myriad of slow and self-controlling processes stabilized the world, today a few fast operating and often mutually reinforcing processes dominate: the North-South divide, military hegemony, fossil fuel use, technological development. With less complexity the world has become inherently less stable and a careful management, based on continuous observation, understanding and adjustments is now required. A major question however arises: How much control of the Earth-Man system is compatible with how much freedom and democracy? Is a trade-off acceptable or even needed?

RAES Frank; 

2009-12-03

Europe's World

JRC47086

1782-0642,