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Give and take, that is the essence of what balance is all about. When humankind as a whole is in a position to give back to nature at least as much as we take, and repay some of our debt, we will all be able to lead more balanced lives. There are examples across the world of this new thinking right now. If every nation were to set profit, people and planet targets for itself as New Zealand does, offer a standard of living for its population as high as Japan’s, embrace the renewable revolution like Morocco, manage its seas like Palau, farm plants as efficiently and sustainably as some are doing in the Netherlands, eat meat rarely like the people of India, encourage the wild to return as Costa Rica has, and build nature into its cities like Singapore, the whole of humanity would be able to achieve a balance with nature. But it will take every nation, and those with the greatest footprints to make the biggest changes. It won’t work if some countries make the transition and others don’t.

There is some resistance at present. It is all too easy when contemplating sustainability to focus on what we lose and miss what we gain. But the reality is that a sustainable world is full of gains. In losing our dependence on coal and oil and by generating renewable energy we gain clean air and water, cheap electricity for all, and quieter, safer cities. In losing rights to fish in certain waters, we gain a healthy ocean that will help us combat climate change and ultimately offer us more wild seafood. In removing much of the meat from our diet, we gain fitness and health and less expensive food. In losing land to the wild, we gain opportunities for a life-affirming reconnection with the natural world both in distant lands and seas and in our own local environment. In losing our dominance over nature, we gain an enduring stability within it for all the generations that will follow.

Everything is set for us to win this future. We have a plan. We know what to do. There is a path to sustainability. It is a path that could lead to a better future for all life on Earth. We must let our politicians and business leaders know that we understand this, that this vision for the future is not just something we need, it is something, above all, that we want.