updated research shows four of nine planetary boundaries have been crossed. the culprit? a flawed economic system and vast consumption: “It’s clear the economic system is driving us towards an unsustainable future and people of my daughter’s generation will find it increasingly hard to survive. History has shown that civilisations have risen, stuck to their core values and then collapsed because they didn’t change. That’s where we are today.”. so scientists are starting to sound a lot like that new yorker cartoon. see also, if everyone lived like an american how many earths would we need?