Should we detach ourselves from nature? Can humanity leave nature behind? (Must-Read via BBC.com)

Should / can humanity leave nature behind?

In the face of environmental collapse, humanity may need to turn to artificial replacements for nature…

Here are some of the best snippets from this MUST-READ piece on BBC.com

“In the opening few minutes of the science-fiction film Blade Runner 2049, a police car flies over a landscape that has been transformed by synthetic farming. Concentrically-arranged mirrors for capturing solar energy point and tilt towards central towers like worshippers at Mecca, circle after circle stretching into the distance. We learn these farming techniques saved humanity from famine caused by ecological collapse in the mid-2020s. The entire planet is ravaged, containing nothing but highly coveted relics of “real” organisms, and a dysfunctional climate characterised by dry dust.”

Author: Gerd Leonhard

In the words of American poet John Berryman, “the possibility that has been overlooked is the future”. Most of us are far too busy coping with present challenges to explore the future in any depth – and when we do our own cravings and fears often run away with us, resulting in utopias or dystopias that are not very helpful in terms of planning and decisions. Today’s professionals, leaders and their organisations need a dedicated, passionate long-term understanding of the future if they are to successfully navigate the exponential waves of change. For countless individuals and organizations that intelligence is called Gerd Leonhard. View all posts by Gerd Leonhard