Futurist sees way to end world woes

BUSINESSES will need to rethink their approach to growth and focus more on sustainability and innovation to save the planet, says futurist and author Thomas Homer-Dixon.

Homer Dixon, from the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto, said the world was in the grip of five major stresses:
■Different rates of population growth for rich and poor countries.

■Energy scarcity.

■Environmental damage in poor countries.

■Climate change.

■The widening gap between rich and poor.

Speaking in Melbourne yesterday, he said the combination of forces resulted in massive upheavals and destruction.

“Societies get in trouble when there are multiple problems and multiple stressors,” he said.

He said businesses would need either to end or, at the very least, re-evaluate their preoccupation with growth and efficiency as all the problems were growth related.

The Age (Australia)