IF INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY is to survive, the next century will have to be a time of transformation, not just in technological capacity but also in our approach to the natural world and to each other. The second report in the Global Environmental Outlook series from the United Nations Environment Program says: “The present approach is not sustainable. Doing nothing is no longer an option.”

A sustainable society would not be eroding its resource base, causing serious environmental damage or producing unacceptable social problems. But we are dissipating resources that future generations will need, damaging environmental systems and reducing social stability by widening the gap between rich and poor.