The S Plan

Despite being in a world that is fortunately still rich in culture, abundant in food variety and astounding in landscape diversity, we are at a critical point in time because of the alarming loss of biodiversity on the planet. Over the centuries, unique plant and animal varieties that have given us not only sustenance but also cultural traditions, rituals, festivals, crafts, education and life knowledge are now in peril. According to some scientists, we are already below the safe levels for the safety of our own species (Potenza, 2016). The situation is worse if one considers that globalization pressures are forcing an ever more homogenized world and what we have left in natural and built resources is often poorly managed; for example, despite having industrial wastelands, new industrial zones are being built elsewhere; millions of tons of food is wasted despite world hunger (according to Worldometers (2018), an estimated 20,000–25,000 people die of hunger every day) and millions are being spent on obesity programs. According to Stenmarck, Jensen, Quested and Moates (2016), in the EU alone, an estimated 88 million tons of food is wasted annually, with associated costs estimated at 143 billion euros. At the same time, our education systems are hardwired to produce workers for factories: repeat and do not think; be uniform and conform; and do not be creative or stand out! All the while, robots are being invented to take the jobs that younger generations have been educated for…