"Believing Cassandra" author Alan AtKisson on building a sustainable planet

LONDON (AlertNet) - The world will continue to careen toward a collision course with the laws of nature for as long as the key problem of runaway growth is left unchecked, writes author Alan AtKisson in his book "Believing Cassandra: How to Be an Optimist in a Pessimist's World".

If humans do not stop growth willingly, nature will force it to stop. If growth stops, development must accelerate, presenting a challenge for the planet, he writes.

"Growth and development have been joined together like Siamese twins. They must now be separated, or human civilization inevitably will come to a screeching halt.

"For the genuine development of humanity to continue, our species' physical growth must slow down and stop. And for growth to stop, our understanding of development must be reinvented."

AtKisson centres his argument on a paradox he calls "Cassandra's Dilemma."

In Greek mythology, Cassandra is the youngest daughter of the last king of Troy. She is given the gift of prophecy by the god Appollo in his efforts to woo her, but she rejects him and he curses her, leaving her prophecies ignored.

Despite years of dire warnings and studies showing scientific evidence of global warming, humanity cannot, or will not, respond effectively, AtKisson argues in the updated book, which was first published in 1999.

AtKisson spoke to AlertNet ahead of a talk at the London School of Economics last week about how the world should approach creating a sustainable planet and what we should expect from U.N. climate talks in Cancun, Mexico.

By Julie Mollins, AlertNet, London

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