Can We Be Happy in a Post-Apocalyptic World?

Scientists predict that in the years to come both temperatures and sea levels could rise, diminishing valuable resources and leaving civilization in a place of discomfort, both physically and economically. But, despite these distresses, could we actually be happy? Authors Gioietta Kuo and Lane Jennings think so and discuss this possibility in their article, “Achieving Happiness in a Sustainable World” from World Future Review.

The abstract:

Modern science offers grounds for optimism concerning human comfort and well-being in the decades ahead. Yet, forces in nature and society still threaten to create conditions of worldwide physical and economic hardship unparalleled in recorded history. If, without despairing, we accept as a working hypothesis the likelihood that resource depletion and climate change will make deep and lasting changes in Earth’s geography and traditional social order, we can still find ways to keep alive the never-fully-realized aspirations that make life worth living. Drawing examples from human history and proposing novel attitudes and values, the authors argue that human beings can indeed survive and even manage to achieve lasting happiness in a future world of greatly diminished prospects and far fewer material comforts.