"I would like to raise the question of why more imagination is not going in to what might be done about these looming crises and calamities, which we now know so much about."

Well, a great deal of imagination is going into the global warming 'crisis'. Some of it is spent on thinking up doomsday scenarios about what would occur if something that isn't happening actually was happening, some of it is spent on thinking up excuses why the things that are supposed to be happening aren't happening, and the remainder is used up thinking of ways to link things that researchers want to investigate with 'global warming' in a way that will produce generous funding.

In fact, that's probably why we don't have any imaginative people around to deal with real problems: they're all fully employed trying to defend an imaginary one.

Just loved the article Valerie, and the intelligent imagination that crafted it.
Not for nothing is it writ large, what the mind of man conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve; and indeed, make the impossible today, tomorrow's commonplace.
As for a fantasy economy, some of the ideas proposed are anything but, but only for rational thinkers, who've actually read and comprehended the article.
An economy no longer dependant on endless population growth, would be spectacularly successful, if we simply concentrated on ending designed obsolescence; and or, poverty in all its forms and guises, wherever we found it.
And we could actually afford to actually do all of it, if we quite massively and simplified the tax act/collection methodology.
All we need do is impose a painless expenditure tax on all forms of expenditure!
A single stand alone expenditure tax set at set at just 4.8%, would collect 25% more tax the the current raft of complexity.
Moreover, because compliance would no longer figure, no compliance costs would be necessary; thereby adding around 7% to the average bottom line, which would no longer have to carry and or suckle, unproductive parasitical practioners!
the simultaneous jettisoning of all the other taxes, including the GST and fuel excise, would mean even pensioners, would pay less total tax!
The only ones worse off, the ones currently successfully dodging or avoiding tax?
Creative accounting, and or, the more recent setting up of subsidiaries, in tax havens! Then outsourcing service work at quite outrageous fees, which ends up dramatically reducing or completely removing the tax liabilities of Parent companies, quite literally earning billions.
Other than that, I believe we ought to also impose quite onerous taxes on capital gains; but nothing at all on dividends?
This would almost immediately change the investor mindset, from very short term strategies that simply create massive market distortions and or winners and losers, with mum and dad investors high on the losers list, in favour of highly transparent, long term strategies that simply create sizeable stable income streams or dividends!
Rhrosty.