At the end of this great primer on Collapse at the TED conference, Diamond flatly explains how our current course of living is non-sustainable. Diamond explains that, “about a dozen ticking time bombs with fuses not longer than 50 years exist: water, soil, climate change, invasive species, population, toxics” all of which are scheduled to go off and cause the collapse of our civilization.

How will these problems work themselves out? Watch the video for a surprisingly optimistic answer:

Amen.

When the human population was counted in millions and resources were
sparse, people could simply move to pastures new. But with 9 billion
people expected around 2050, moving on is not an option. As
politicians reconstruct the global economy, they should take heed. If
we are to leave any kind of planet to our children we need an economic
system that lets us live within our means.

Via New Scientist