Are our cities truly flourishing? Are fewer people getting sick, compared to a decade ago? Does it take longer to negotiate your way from one part of the city to the other than it did a decade ago? Are our streets cleaner? Are people less stressed? Is the garden city slowly turning brown?

Leaving aside a small minority of people sitting at the top of the heap, the vast majority of city dwellers are likely to provide dark answers to such questions. In spite of all our imagined progress and our considerable learning, more than ever before we need thinkers and visionaries to free us from the ecological cul de sac into which we are slowly but steadily drifting.

Today, mankind is passing through a twisted, tortured fork in its development destiny. While science and technology have undoubtedly made great strides, the fruits of such endeavours have been hijacked by a handful whose purpose in life seems not to extend beyond amassing wealth and power, even at the cost of society. Armament companies exercise colossal control over the governments of the world (who really profits from war?).

Multinationals monopolise the supply of seeds, pesticides and fertilisers and thus virtually hold the food securi-ty of developing countries in their hands. Politicians dance to the drum of the high priests of high finance. This baleful brotherhood even manages to embellish its dark deeds in bright halos, thanks to its dominance over global communications networks, both electronic and print.

Using subtle and not-so-subtle censorship, they then effectively prevent the truth from being presented to the public, if this poses even the faintest threat to their carefully cultured world-view.

The same propaganda machines tend to favour large dams, nuclear reactors, thermal plants and opencast mines, while virtually blanking out infinitely more realistic long term options involving the protection and promotion of environmental and human rights, watershed development, natural health and organic farming. It is also why public transport that would benefit 90 per cent of all people living in large cities gets such a small slice of the cake, when compared to car owners (responsible for the vast majority of the pollution load in the city).

In discussion very few people actually disagree with the above view. But a disconnect prevents us from sidestepping the immense damage being done, even in the face of incontrovertible evidence that the quality of human life of city dwellers is in steep decline as a consequence.

Environmentalists and many NGOs are suggesting that it is time for us to take stock. By readjusting our priorities, we could actually solve most of the seemingly impossible problems that confront us.

But for this to happen, people who are willing to swim against the tide must stand up and be counted.

(Editor of Sanctuary Asia magazine)