Interdependence

As an island nation, the UK has always depended to a greater or lesser degree, on the rest of the world to meet its needs. Our way of life in the UK would be unthinkable without the human, cultural, economic and environmental contributions made by the rest of the world. Our global interdependence is inescapable.

And yet, some forms of interdependence are causing major problems for the world's ecosystems and climate. Increased trade and the globalisation of resources, fuelled by over-consumption in rich countries, is putting a major burden on the fields, forests, rivers, seas and mines of the rest of the world. If we keep pushing ecosystems too far, they may eventually collapse, with no guarantee of return. And if we trigger runaway climate change, it could be tens of thousands of years, or never, before the climate becomes again conducive to human civilisation.

The Consumption Explosion
In spite of the global recession, we are still over-consuming and over-polluting. The UK and other rich countries will have to undergo radical lifestyle chance if we are to become sustainable.

Cutting consumption will relieve the burden on the planet, but it could be good for us too. Rising levels of consumption have not delivered dramatically increased life satisfaction in wealthy countries. Getting off the consumer treadmill will be chance for liberation and the discovery of what really matters to us. And with consumption in the rich world reduced, there will more space in the global commons for other people, who don't yet have enough, to meet their basic needs.

Defusing the consumption explosion will give us all the chance of a better life. nef seeks ways to make that potential a reality.

nef’s work on interdependence is part of the Interdependence Day project initiated by nef the Open University.