The near future: the worldwide metropolis • Of all forms of development and ideas of well-being that we can imagine, the only one we can simply no longer afford to pursue is that so far adopted by the more industrialised countries; the very one which less industrialised nations have been taking as a reference model, explicitly or implicitly. That is, a development model and an idea of well-being based on a very clear hypothesis: to be better off we must consume more. •• Today we know that this direct relationship between well-being and consumption is not always true and, above all, we know that the well-being it promises is not sustainable. In other words it cannot be extended equally to all the inhabitants of this planet. ••• Consequently, new models of development and new ideas of well-being must emerge over the next few years and, beginning with the richer societies, we must all learn to live better while consuming less.
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