A Planetary Perspective – Learn, decide, and then take action.

It took billions of years for Earth, and life on Earth, to evolve to where it is today. It is a slow process, yet for many of us, time passes quickly in our daily lives. Consider this, for as long as one has looked out at those beautiful mountains, that view has looked the same for generation upon generation. Yet over geological time, things do change. What is not clear to many, is that the rapidly changing climate affects all aspects of who we are and how we interact with others. The challenges produced by the climate crisis appear to be distant problems in time, space, and place, although all of us are affected, and the pain is not shared equitably.

Science enables our understanding of the evolution of systems. The progress that human societies have made are built on empathy and our understanding of science and ecosystem services. The climate crisis has significant, negative impact on ecosystem services, which in turn, affects each of us. Life is about making choices, and the choices we make should take into account the rates and magnitude of change. It is difficult to make decisions whose outcomes may not be known for generations. Each decision we make has a lasting impact – be thoughtful and be empathetic.

Explore this site to learn about science, astronomy, Earth systems, choice, politics, and personal decision making.

Homo sapiens sapiens are the most successful species on the planet today. Population, longevity, standard of living, health, quality of life, and education continue to increase across the globe (see https://www.gapminder.org). This success comes at a cost. In order to sustain this success, and share it with the billions of others who are less fortunate than us, we must ensure that the foundations of this success are maintained.

Clean water to drink, safe air to breath, healthy food to eat, and global health are all compromised by our successful lifestyles. What choices must we make in order to ensure that future generations have the safe, healthy, and nurturing lifestyle experienced by our ancestors? At what point do we take stock of our capital and decide to live sustainably, and live respectfully, such that future generations may enjoy the beauty that previous generations have been gifted? The decisions we make today will impact us and future generations.

The foundations of our success are based on ecosystem services, functioning societies, strong healthy families, and adequate resources – it touches all areas of how we choose to live and how we interact with others. The gross domestic product (GDP) measures the use of goods and services and is an indicator of the success of a nation. It excludes the importance of community, and the daily work conducted by those who do not get paid (including those who work at home raising their family, and those who are paid in cash).

A high GDP often comes at a cost to the long term well-being of our life support systems. The challenge we, as a species, face today is to balance prosperity (wealth inequality and consumption) with long-term thinking (sustainable lifestyle choices rather than immediate gratification).

The 7.7 billion people living today is so substantial that humans are now considered a geological force and are making changes to ecosystem services at ever-increasing rates. Humans are changing global climate which in turn is responsible for, or can be related to many of the problems individuals face today (health, jobs, pollution, emotional stress, financial stress, nutrition, and equity).

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