Hiroshima was a kind of warning. The fact that there has been only one atomic war gives one hope, though the continued spread of nuclear weapons throughout the world is cause for concern. The sustainability frameworks discussed in this chapter are an attempt to avoid a Donner party scenario, in which an overpopulated world faces limited resources and extensive pollution. Even if one takes the view that global resources are limited more by intelligence than by what is in the ground, the kind of intelligence we need must include this kind of anticipation of long-term consequences. According to Mark Sagoff, in order to save the environment, we will have to eliminate poverty .
Technology can help.
One of SELF's goals is to gradually transfer the manufacture and maintenance of solar panels to local entrepreneurs. But it is manufactured by a small textile mill that is closely integrated with its community. The Rohner mill might be an example of the kind of business that could take off in developing countries, using materials like wool and ramie that could be grown locally. War is another cause of Donner party scenarios that exist all over the world today. Refugees in Zaire and Rwanda are fleeing tribal wars.