Deep Ecology for the Twenty-second Century

Abstract

The title of this paper is not my title! Why did my friends insist on this ti-tle? Because of the many conversations I've had on the following lines: NN: Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Arne Naess: I'm an optimist! NN (astonished): Really? Naess: Yes, a convinced optimist-when it comes to the twenty-second century. NN: You mean, of course, the twenty-first century? Naess: No, the twenty-second! The lifetime of the grandchildren of our grandchildren. Aren't you interested in the world of those children? NN: You mean we can relax because we have a lot of time available to overcome the ecological crisis? Naess: Not at all! Every week counts. How terrible and shamefully bad conditions will be in the twenty-first century, or how far down we fall before we start back up, depends upon what YOU and others do today and tomorrow. There is not a single day to be lost. We need activism on a high level immediately.