Sometimes its better for your sense of optimism about the world to just not listen to the news. However, it is generally unavoidable if you're at all out and about these days. Its times like these that it becomes necessary to do your own small part, and just wonder at the plight of humanity at the present time.
Will we survive into the next century? What untold millions or billions will sufffer because of our lack of foresight now?
In economic terms, how can we stop individual nations from engaging in short-term economic self-benefit at the expense of long-term catastrophies? If the costs are not internalized, economically inefficient markets continue to exist (in industries, vehicles, etc, that pollute at a negative level of net social benefit, and as well, within fishing operations that cumulatively lower net social welfare). In short, how can externalities be countered on a global scale?
I am not altogether pesssimistic about the future. I think things will get worse before they get better, and we will pay a higher price for our slow reaction to disastrous courses of action, but the capacity for change has not yet developed a critical momentum. As the consequences (costs) of the status quo become ever-closer, the incentives to change become much more potent.
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