The paradox of plenty: Why we waste while others want

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Perspective Media
June 01, 2025

THIS WEEK’S DEEP DIVE
The First Regenerative Revolution
BY DERMOT O’GORMAN

Dermot O'Gorman argues that the Fourth Industrial Revolution must be reframed as the “First Regenerative Revolution” – moving beyond exploitative industrial mindsets toward technologies and systems that work with natural abundance rather than against it. Drawing parallels with previous industrial transitions, he contends that we have the knowledge and tools to solve global challenges but need a fundamental shift from scarcity thinking to regenerative abundance.

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No time to waste

Peter Phelps examines the moral contradiction at the heart of our global food system, where over 345 million people face severe hunger while one-third of all food produced is wasted. He traces the persistence of starvation from Käthe Kollwitz's 1920s hunger prints to Marcus Rashford's campaign for free school meals, revealing how solutions exist but political will remains elusive.

www.perspectivemedia.com/no-time-to-waste

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One third of all food is wasted, enough to feed the world’s starving at least twice over

The emblem of excess

Christobel Kent explores fashion as capitalism's perfect expression—an industry built on humanity's desire for more than we need, from Palaeolithic shell necklaces to today's fast fashion crisis. While acknowledging fashion's role in creativity, identity and community, she examines the devastating human and environmental costs of an industry that burns luxury goods rather than lower prices.

www.perspectivemedia.com/the-emblem-of-excess

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Envy, covetousness, greed, pride and a healthy dollop of lust: the pursuit of high fashion could be filed under a number of deadly sins

Bon vivant

Lydia Brownlow celebrates the art of hedonistic pleasure, from ancient Neolithic festivals to summer garden parties, arguing that the pursuit of good food, company and sensory delight is a fundamental human joy that doesn't require wealth or excess to be meaningful.

www.perspectivemedia.com/bon-vivant

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Fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice

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