World peace and global sustainability

War and the preparation for war divert increasingly scarce resources from c ivilian use, especially long-term efforts such as the quest for sustainable use of the planet. War also damages natural systems both directly and indi rectly. As a consequence, ecosystem services essential to sustainability ar e diminished. Achieving world peace does not assure that sustainable use of the planet will also be achieved, but. it is a necessary precursor. Other factors diminishing the prospects for sustainability include major and rapi d demographic changes, addiction to exponential economic growth, excessive individualism, and production of artifacts and wastes not readily reincorpo rated into natural systems. On the other hand, if intelligence is not an ev olutionary mistake, then it, combined with reason and creativity, can be us ed to overcome the obstacles just mentioned. If intelligence is an evolutio nary mistake, the creatures that ran the world before humans appeared will doubtless take over again.