In the face of abrupt climate change, catastrophic loss of biodiversity around the globe, and rapid species decline across the board in recent decades, why are we, as a species, unable to clearly perceive the very perilous situation we find ourselves in? What is it about creating very large-scale, complex systems (technologies, cultures, societies), that makes us unable to perceive how our way of living detrimentally impacts planetary life-systems, which we rely on for our own survival and well-being? In the face of the physical reality we are forging for ourselves and all other life on this planet, what can we expect to happen in the face of these profound changes currently underway?

In this segment, Dr. William Rees discusses the neuro-biological, cognitive and cultural barriers to sustainability, including human’s well-developed capacity for self-delusion. Dr. Rees is human ecologist, ecological economist, and is the originator and co-developer of the Ecological Footprint Analysis, the world’s best-known metaphor for the human "load" (the resources required of ecosystems to maintain our current mode of living) on the planet.

Learn more about the Ecological Footprint concept at The Global Footprint Network website: https://www.footprintnetwork.org

This is a segment of episode #125 of Last Born In The Wilderness "Marching Toward Collapse: Biophysical Limits & Our Cognitive Blindspots w/ William Rees." Listen to the full episode: https://bit.ly/2HGdECe

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