True sustainability solutions We live in a world with very
limited solutions to our sustainability problems. I often hear
the view, “If we would just get off fossil fuels, then our
society would be sustainable.” Or, “If the price of oil would
just go high enough, then renewables would become economic, and
our economy would be sustainable.” Unfortunately, our problems
with sustainability began a long time before fossil fuels came
around, and the views above represent an incomplete
understanding of our predicament. When fossil fuels became
available, they were a solution to other sustainability
problems–rapid deforestation and difficulty feeding the
population at that time. Getting rid of fossil fuels would
likely lead to very rapid deforestation and many people dying of
lack of water or food. If getting rid of fossil fuels is a
solution to our predicament, it is one with very bad side
effects. A couple of different events this week reminded me
about how deeply embedded our sustainability problems are. For
one,