Necessities

"Doing without, and doing things as never before,"
that's how Vaclac Smil summarized what would be necessary
if we are ever to achieve that elusive goal of sustainability.

We certainly will need to live, and even to want to live, differently.
Otherwise, those who consume beyond their fair share of Earth's resources keep on doing so,
and those who have too little want to get to the same overconsumption.

The necessary changes are – or seem to be – commonly voiced in terms of a need to give up comfort,
forfeit well-being, give up on progress.

In fact – whether this is a fact, admittedly, is the first question – they can be a contribution to a good life,
more likely leading towards happiness than our single-minded pursuit of economic growth.