The report  'Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century ' is a strong reminder that not only is it urgent that we take action, but that a way forward is agreed on by the majority of nations 

The 10 existential risks articulated in the Commission for the Human Futures report 'Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century ' may overwhelm some readers and politicians.  As articulated by the authors, there are existing frameworks to assist navigating through these challenges. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org are at the forefront of these - and along with 192 other nations, Australia is a signatory. Originally set in 2015 for delivery by 2030, this is the 'Decade of Action' but Australia has made small progress to date. There is some commitment at the Federal level within foreign aid and Indigenous affairs but our response as a country is lagging behind many other nations.  We have dropped in global ranking steadily, now at 38th place. That is not to say there is no interest here - several  local governments, universities and other organisations have adopted these goals, but a robust commitment in domestic policy is yet to occur.  The SDGs represent a globally agreed framework for integrated, concurrent, multi-sector action and policy towards a sustainable, desirable and equitable future. Increasingly, this is what Australians are demanding.

I welcome the Commission for the Human Future's timely report. During this once in a century global pandemic, it is appropriate to consider the other threats to human existence such as climate change and nuclear war. My own area of study, Artificial Intelligence is often included in such existential threats. I concur with this report that the threat here is not what Hollywood would have us believe: some Terminator like super-intelligence.The threat that AI and related technologies pose is much more mundane and nearer. It is the erosion of human rights, the loss of privacy, the corruption of our political discourse and the widening of inequality within and between countries driven by new digital technologies. Such changes are already damaging our society. Now is the time to act on these inter-related threats to the well being of life on planet Earth.

This is a critically important report at a critically important time. Historically unprecedented drought, fire, storms, destruction of the Great Barrier Reef and a global pandemic shines a light on fundamental ruptures in society. We cannot focus on the pathology of the problems presented in the report. That obscures the fact that systems such as these are not static, they can and do change. If systems are able to adapt, what is the ambitious vision for such a system that is different to the status quo.

The shifting political and economic sands provide an important window of opportunity to collectively change the system, such that communities are able to live with good health, dignity and in an environmentally sustainable way. Understanding ‘how’ to affect positive system change requires understanding the intersections between power, politics and policy. There is no one policy or regulatory model that will improve complex societal problems such as these, rather we must use a plurality of approaches. In a hyper-connected world there are many partners to help create systems of hope.

This report provides an overview of the key areas that need to be primary areas of focus by Government and also the focus of the wider population.

What is important to remember is that these threats are linked. Of particular concern is the link between food security and climate change. There is nothing more important than food production (stop eating if you do not believe me) but much of Australia’s food is produced in the latitudes that are going to be drier. The droughts this century are clear evidence of that. The increasing variability of climates means that food supply and prices are likely to fluctuate more. While Australia will probably be able to feed itself, the amount available for export could decline, reducing our ability to earn income. To increase food supply will be possible, but at an increased cost. Regenerative agriculture is needed to sustain food production, but with less rainfall and higher temperatures, crop yields are going to be less per hectare. This means we need a rational population policy to ensure the demand for food is not un-sustainable.

For nearly fifty years, expert studies have been warning that the trajectory of human development is not sustainable and will lead to disaster. The Club of Rome, the UN Environment Program, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, the Stockholm Institute, the World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity, the Doomsday Clock have all pointed out the inevitable consequences of the path we are on as a global civilisation. Successive Australian governments have failed to act, paralysed by ideology and vested interests.

In the reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen governments look beyond short-term economic issues, listen to the experts and take hard decisions for the long-term good. The new report from the Commission for the Human Future is a clear warning that we need to build on the constructive response to the pandemic. Governments need to listen to the experts and recognise that it would be catastrophic to go back to business-as-usual. The pandemic might kill a million people around the world, but billions will die if we fail to heed the warnings about the greater threats we face. It is time to set aside ideology and make the hard decisions that would enable a sustainable future, trusting the experts as we have in responding to the pandemic.