THE QUALITY-OF-LIFE - WHAT QUALITY - WHOSE LIFE

The increasing rate at which changes in human life are occurring has important consequences for the environment and the carrying capacity of the Earth. The industrial revolution has brought greatly increased wealth to one-quarter of the population and also severe inequality. Pollution and accelerating energy consumption have already affected the equilibria of the Earth's land masses, oceans and atmosphere; particularly important is the loss in biodiversity. All these factors are potential causes of political and environmental instability. A solution must encompass increased awareness and different modes of thought and behaviour; improved education; interdisciplinary action; and the promotion of a values system enshrining the principle of sustainability over generations. Quality of life must be viewed in two perspectives: that of all human beings in a global society; and that of the countless other lifeforms on whom we unwittingly depend.