Thursday, May 23, 2013

Parag Khanna — The Human City

The tangled web of international organizations that constitutes global governance has become so remote and ineffective that few count on it to deliver results anymore. Now, after decades of turf wars and self-marginalization, international organizations must rally around an increasingly pressing global priority: sustainable urbanization.
The world is undergoing an unprecedented and irreversible wave of urbanization, with the share of the global population living in cities set to reach 60% by 2030. But rapid urbanization is driving up industrial fossil-fuel consumption and household water consumption, and is increasing demand for food in areas where arable land is scarce. In short, the current urbanization trajectory is not sustainable.
Project Syndicate
The Human City
Parag Khanna | Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and Director of the Hybrid Reality Institute

Khanna cites Singapore as an example of better management. Does this argue for a more planned approach?


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Build liquid fluoride thorium reactors to generate base load electricity and use their waste heat to desalinate water.

And if you want long term sustainability then start phasing out usury-based money systems since they require exponential growth just to pay the compound interest!