Project Groundswell was conceived as a platform to generate and accelerate momentum toward a new paradigm: a more sustainable and prosperous future.

Moving humanity away from its current path of natural resource exploitation and unbound growth, towards one of sustainable development and ecological balance, is no small task. It will take concerted effort at all levels of society, from individual choices to binding multinational agreements, to enable this transition.

We at Project Groundswell seek to provide readers with the perspective and resources necessary to understand the implications of our changing global environment. We will highlight tangible solutions, and emphasize action being taken to advance the sustainable use of the planet’s resources, and responsible stewardship of its natural systems.

In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that humans are pressing up against the limits of many of the earth’s natural systems. For example:

• Energy – By 2030, global energy demand will increase by nearly 50%. (IEA)
• Water – By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions. (FAO)
• Ecosystems and biodiversity – The structure of the world’s ecosystems changed more rapidly in the second half of the twentieth century than at any time in recorded human history, accelerating the decline of biodiversity and causing widespread extinction across the entire planet. (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment)
• Climate Change - The concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere due to land use changes and the combustion of fossil fuels is now 70% higher than before the industrial revolution, leading to accelerated loss of glacial and polar ice, and an increase in global sea levels. (NASA)
• Population and development - By 2050, the world’s population is projected to increase to 9.1 billion people. The vast majority of this growth will occur in less developed countries, concentrated in urban areas. (UNFPA)

In light of these unsettling prospects, we want to share our thoughts with you, and hope you do the same with us.

Thank you for reading. And for thinking.

Read about our history.