Introduction

THERE IS A BRILLIANT Dilbert cartoon strip where Dilbert tells his boss: 'We replaced our styrofoam coffee cups with paper cups. But it's not so clear it helps the planet.' 'We didn't do it to help the planet,' retorts pointy-haired boss. 'We did it to look like the sort of company that cares about that sort of thing.' Leaving the cynicism aside, the cartoon neatly parodies the tendency of sustainability professionals to focus their energies on making changes with negligible practical impact.

Sustainability is undoubtedly the single biggest challenge for the human race. Climate change, resource depletion, biodiversity loss and the build-up of persistent toxic chemicals show that we are rubbing up against the natural limits of the planet. Arguing over the right kind of coffee cup in the light of these existential threats makes fiddling while Rome burns look like a proactive game-changer by comparison.

A different threat to tackling climate change and other global challenges is green self-indulgence. Doug Tompkins, founder of North Face and Esprit recently told Guardian Sustainable Business:

We should not rush into trying to solve problems before we have truly understood the deep dynamics of the system we are seeking to transform ... what we need is idea work, which helps build the intellectual infrastructure necessary to make deep structural changes in the economic technologies that we use to operate our societies. For ultimately, there can be no hope of ending the eco-social crisis until people abandon the arrogance of humanism and adopt an eco-centric worldview.

This kind of eco-waffle drives me up the wall. The climate does not care whether a kilo of carbon dioxide has been emitted while listening to whale music or watching The X Factor. It is a kilo of carbon molecules which causes a certain amount of global warming. We need to cut carbon, not achieve enlightenment. If we get more spiritually enlightened by doing so, then great, but let's put the horse in front of the cart where it belongs.

Second, the science tells us we should act swiftly. Given the residence time of carbon in the atmosphere, and the presence of worrying tipping points in the climate system, cutting a kilo of carbon now is much more beneficial than cutting a kilo of carbon next year. Sitting in a yurt chanting or stroking our beards in the wilderness may be self-fulfilling, but it must not be confused for practical progress. We must learn by doing, be prepared to make mistakes, but it is paramount we get going.

One positive feature of the last 10 years has been the rise of what I call The Pragmatic Environmentalist. This can-do breed is free from the ideological baggage of the traditional tree-hugger. They will embrace any technology, market mechanism or technique if it will contribute to sustainability. With their championing of nuclear energy and genetic technology in particular,