We flipped on more lights in the room, as it was now pitch-dark outside and the embers were getting low. Our whisky was finished, but we had one more riddle to solve. How could we use this amazing human intellect wisely? I put this question to Jane.
“Well, if we are ever going to do that- and I’ve already said that I think head and heart must work together- now is the time to prove that we can. Because if we don’t act wisely now to slow down the heating of our planet and the loss of plant and animal life, it may be too late. We need to come together and solve these existential threats to life on Earth. And to do so, we must solve four great challenges- I know these four by heart because I often speak about them in my talks.
“First- we must alleviate poverty. If you are living in crippling poverty, you will cut down the last tree to grow food. Or fish the last fish because you’re desperate to feed your family. In an urban area you will buy the cheapest food0 you do not have the luxury of choose a more ethically produced product.
“Second, we must reduce the unsustainable lifestyles of the affluent. Let’s face it, so many people have way more stuff than they need- or even want.
“Third, we must eliminate corruption, for without good governance and honest leadership, we cannot work together to solve our enormous social and environmental challenges.
“And finally, we must face up to the problems caused by growing populations of humans and their livestock. There are over seven billion of us today, and already, in many places, we have used up nature’s finite natural resources faster than nature can replenish them. And by 2050 there will apparently be closer to ten billion of us. If we carry on with business as usual, that spells the end of life on Earth as we know it.”
“Well, those are daunting challenges,” I said.
“Yes, they are, but they are not insurmountable if we use our human intellect- together with good old common sense- to solve them. And, as I said earlier, we are beginning to make progress. Of course, a great deal of our onslaught on Mother Nature is not really lack of intelligence but lack of compassion for future generations and the health of the planet: sheer selfish greed for short-term benefits to increase the wealth and power of individuals, corporations, and governments. The rest is due to thoughtlessness, lack of education, and poverty. In other words, there seems to be a disconnect between our clever brain and our compassionate heart. True wisdom requires both thinking with our head and understanding with our heart.”