New consciousness: A societal and energetic vision for rebalancing humankind within the limits of planet Earth

- There is urgency to tackle the wicked problem of growing unsustainability.
- A new level of consciousness of humans is needed.
- A new conception for growth is proposed.
- Switching to a fully sustainable energy supply can be achieved in the 21st century.
- Shift to power megatrend favours solar photovoltaics and wind as key technologies

Humankind has reached a level of ongoing crises, which is mainly due to an unsustainable energy system and the non-acceptance of planetary boundaries. On a more fundamental level the crisis is caused by the prevailing worldview and values. Universally accepted values of today emphasize material wellbeing and growth, consider nature only as resources to be exploited by humans, and neglect the notion that humans are connected to each other and to nature on a very fundamental basis. Currently, 140% of the resource and absorption capacity of planet earth is required for human activities and the trend is against rebalancing. The dire consequence will be a collapse of the hosting capacity of our planet, as a simple matter of fundamental environmental facts.This article draws a world which is mentally and ethically aware of the fundamental limits and the requirement to live in harmony with planet Earth. This describes an evolutionary development of humans and can be called a 'New Consciousness' scenario, akin to the concept of the Global Brain. Growth in this kind of a world is called neo-growth: it is environmentally sustainable and emphasizes social, immaterial and “spiritual” growth. Such an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable society is sketched and on that basis a very first estimate is given on the requirements and consequence for a fully sustainable energy supply which needs to be initiated now and fully realised in the second half of the 21st century.The technologies required are already available and their respective economics are no obstacle. It remains unclear and from today's perspective even improbable whether humankind is able to go for that evolutionary transition in the future. However, nearly all other options might end in a collapse scenario in the dimension of geological history.