Because, “Everything is connected, everything is interdependent, so everything is vulnerable.... And that’s why this has to be a more than whole of government, a more than whole of nation [effort]. It really has to be a global effort....” Jen Easterly. CISA director. Oct. 29, 2021. [the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency is our nation’s newest federal agency established by the Trump Administration in 2018]. It was hacked early in 2025.
FYI: The word 'everything' is an autological word. It literally defines itself.
Many other important commonly used words have no agreed upon definition. Yet we value them so highly...regardless of the multiple problems they create. Even when they cannot be used to actually solve problems - because they lack a universal approved meaning. Engineering workable solutions in any system requires non-ambiguous words - plus adapting as things change. Or failures can be predicted.
Here are some important words creating leading to unattainability in everything. Peace, democracy, happiness, hope, optimism, truth, independence.... In modern language each is a root cause of multiple unsustainable problems and trends because of their ambiguity. Yet every aspect of local sustainably is dependent on the health of people and nature globally. The root of health is prevention. And all people need a healthy environment to survive and thrive. And hopefully flourish some day.
Science News “All global sustainability is linked to local” Jan 2, 2020 Michigan State University https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200101144029.htm “We must carefully take a holistic view to be sure progress in one area isn't compromised by setbacks in other areas."
Groundbreaking ways to quantify progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to find sustainability, are needed, like politics. The 169 subgoals within the 17 SDGs can be measurable at the local community level.
CURRENT TRENDS: ChatGPT (6-22-06) Almost any one of the 100+ worsening trends in our nation and world can be unsustainable - or lead to a global Zombie apocalypse. Over a third are. Yet preventing them is not a political or economic priority. First, I don’t believe in Zombies. Except for those in the ranks of the elected who fail to invest in prevention strategies and a few tactics.
Know that the crash of just one system (even one failed structure that can’t rapidly be replaced) can lead to unsustainable cascading effects on multiple other systems, levels of nature, and geographic impacts. The Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine being two minor examples.
During our Pleistocene era of evolution our minds were hardwired for ‘direct causation’ thinking. But now, in our genomic era - surviving requires we do a deep dive into systemic causation thinking. And understanding the connections between everything - and knowing that everything is irreversibly connected, interdependent AND vulnerable is vital to know and act on. Within this context humanity needs to put health and fitness (of mind, body, spirit, family, communicate, environment, economy, government, and global rule of law) at the top of our sustainability agenda.
In short…we must invest sufficiently in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals ASAP.
ChatGPT: ~ 110 Worsening Global Trends. At least 36 are unsustainable.
My question: “What are the major trend lines experts increasingly worry are deteriorating globally?”
1. Human Health Trends: Worsening in many places
- Chronic disease burden (heart disease, diabetes, obesity)
- Mental health problems (anxiety, depression, loneliness)
- Sleep disruption
- Sedentary lifestyles
- Antibiotic resistance
- Aging populations stressing health systems
- Health inequity within countries
- Burnout among healthcare workers
- Climate-related health impacts
- Health systems increasingly face long-term degeneration rather than acute infection.
2. Economic Trends: Worsening concerns
- Wealth concentration
- Housing affordability
- Public and private debt
- Cost-of-living pressure
- Economic insecurity
- Uneven productivity growth
- Labor displacement anxiety
- Supply-chain fragility
- Intergenerational wealth gaps
- Economic rivalry replacing cooperation
3. Security Trends: Worsening
- Strategic competition between major powers
- Economic warfare (tariffs, sanctions, resource leverage)
- Cyber conflict
- Supply-chain weaponization
- Regional armed conflicts
- Infrastructure vulnerability
- Biological security concerns
- Space competition
- Domestic political violence:
- Experts increasingly describe movement from globalization toward fragmentation and confrontation.
4. Environmental Trends: Worsening: Long-term global risk assessments continue to place environmental risks near the top.
- Global temperature rise
- Extreme weather
- Biodiversity loss
- Soil degradation
- Freshwater stress
- Ocean warming
- Coral decline
- Ecosystem fragmentation
- Species extinction pressure
- Pollution
- Resource depletion
5. Psychological / Social Trends: Worsening concerns: Many analysts increasingly describe this as social fragmentation.
- Loneliness
- Social isolation
- Loss of community institutions
- Digital addiction
- Anxiety
- Attention fragmentation
- Reduced trust
- Polarization
- Meaning crises
- Family instability in some societies
6. Cultural Trends: Frequently cited concerns: These are difficult to measure precisely, but concern about them is growing.
- Declining shared narratives
- Lower institutional trust
- Shortened attention spans
- Generational division
- Consumerism pressures
- Reduced civic participation
- Reduced social cohesion
- Loss of local identity
- Online tribalism
7. Political Trends: Worsening concerns: Multiple democracy indices report sustained erosion in democratic quality.
- Polarization
- Democratic backsliding
- Institutional distrust
- Populist surges
- Gridlock
- Extremism
- Declining confidence in elections
- Declining compromise capacity
- Lower multilateral cooperation
8. Media / Information Trends: Worsening: Experts now rank mis/disinformation among the top near-term risks globally.
- Misinformation
- Disinformation
- Deepfakes
- Outrage-driven incentives
- Information overload
- Algorithmic echo chambers
- Declining trust in journalism
- Blurred line between entertainment and news
- Truth fragmentation
9. Technology Trends: Worsening concerns: AI governance risk has risen rapidly in long-term forecasts.
- AI misuse
- Surveillance capability
- Cyber insecurity
- Loss of privacy
- Automation anxiety
- Data concentration
- Human dependency on digital systems
- Faster disruption than governance
10. Weapon Systems / Conflict Trends Worsening: Many analysts describe a broader weaponization of everything: finance, trade, information, energy, data, biology, logistics.
- Autonomous weapons
- Cyber weapons
- Economic coercion
- Drone proliferation
- Information warfare
- Space militarization
- Precision strike accessibility
- Biotechnology dual-use concerns
- Lower barriers to strategic disruption
11. Governance / Systems Trends: Worsening
- Short-term thinking
- Declining state capacity in some regions
- Coordination failure
- Lower trust in expertise
- Crisis fatigue
- Reactive governance instead of preventive governance
- Difficulty governing interconnected risks
12. Civilizational Meta-Trends (your framing may resonate here): Several reports suggest four accelerating forces interacting:
- Technological acceleration
- Climate disruption
- Geostrategic competition
- Demographic transition
Those interacting pressures may amplify many other trends simultaneously.
One observation that connects with themes you’ve raised before: many of these trends are not independent. Mental health affects politics; politics affects climate action; economics affects trust; trust affects governance; governance affects security.
That interconnectedness is part of why some frameworks — including the SDGs — were designed as systems rather than isolated issues.
My next Question: Which of these trends are most unsustainable?
ChatGPT: That is an important distinction. A trend can be getting worse without being unsustainable. By “unsustainable,” I’ll use a practical definition: A trend becomes unsustainable when it eventually hits physical, biological, social, economic, or political limits and begins producing breakdown, instability, or forced correction.
Experts disagree on ranking, but if I combine major risk assessments with systems thinking, these are among the most unsustainable.
Tier 1 — Most Fundamentally Unsustainable (system-level risks)
1. Ecological overshoot: Using natural systems faster than they regenerate. Examples:
- climate warming
- biodiversity loss
- groundwater depletion
- soil degradation
- fisheries decline
- pollution accumulation
Why unsustainable: Natural systems eventually stop providing the conditions civilization depends on.
Potential correction:
- ecological restoration
- efficiency
- consumption shifts
- technological adaptation
2. Debt and economic imbalance: Growth of obligations faster than productive capacity. Examples
- public debt
- household debt
- asset inflation
- pension obligations
- housing affordability
Why unsustainable: Systems eventually hit repayment, legitimacy, or political limits.
Corrections:
- inflation
- restructuring
- growth
- redistribution
- austerity
3. Information ecosystem degradation: Loss of shared reality. Examples:
- misinformation
- distrust
- algorithmic fragmentation
- deepfakes
- outrage incentives
Why unsustainable: Complex societies require minimum levels of trust and coordination.
Possible correction:
- media literacy
- institutional reform
- better incentive design
4. Governance complexity gap: Problems become more interconnected than institutions can manage. Examples:
- climate
- cyber
- pandemics
- migration
- AI
Why unsustainable: Decision systems become too slow relative to risk speed.
Corrections:
- institutional redesign
- local resilience
- international cooperation
Tier 2 — Highly Unsustainable (large destabilizers)
5. Social isolation and declining trust Examples:
- loneliness
- civic decline
- polarization
- weakened community
Why unsustainable: Humans are social; cooperation becomes harder.
6. Demographic imbalance Examples:
- aging populations
- falling fertility
- youth unemployment
Why unsustainable: Too few workers supporting too many dependents—or vice versa.
7. Weaponization of interconnected systems Examples:
- cyber attacks
- economic coercion
- autonomous systems
- biological misuse
Why unsustainable: Interdependence becomes vulnerability.
Tier 3 — Important but more adaptable
8. Consumerism and resource intensity: Can shift through technology and culture.
9. Political polarization: Dangerous but societies sometimes recover.
10. Mental health decline: Serious, but interventions can reverse trajectories.
Compressing all of this further, many analysts would say civilization’s deepest unsustainable trends are:
- Ecological overshoot
- Loss of trust
- Governance lag
- Extreme inequality / instability
- Weaponization of interdependence
One thing I notice connects to a theme you’ve raised before: several of these are less about individual bad actors and more about systems becoming more interconnected than our institutions and cultures evolved to handle. That doesn’t guarantee collapse—but it does create pressure for adaptation.
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