How sustainable is our current way?

This morning aroudn 06:15 CET there was an interesting interview with Edward Goldsmith on BBC World Service. Edward Goldsmith is one of those pioneers who were early to recognize, in the late sixties, the impacts of our model of industrial development on the environment. His point of view is very interesting and although he feels he was not successful in his quest to make mankind understand the risks of disrupting the planet's ecosystem, I believe examples like his inspire quite a few people in our societies.
At the very end of 2006 I got a chance to discuss sustainable business with a Belgian business leader and I was impressed with his keen understanding of the dimension of the challenges ahead: he was telling me how he felt we would be compelled to change our ways of running the economy and how we'd better start right now because businesses who are early to adapt stand a better chance to survive and develop in radically different conditions. Edward Goldsmith's position is more radical because he supports de-development... All that makes for interesting times. And now that I think of it, back in june 2000 I recall spending a week in San Francisco, California, expecting to see a lot of teleworking and extensive use of technology to change the working models and feeling very disappointed with the huge traffic jams on highway 101.