non-sustainable course

[ian2]

Non-sustainable course?

In the following paragraph, what does the "non-sustainable" mean? In many cases, "sustainable" means it can be continued, like we say, sustainable development. But the word "sustainable" can also mean "supportable". If we talk about the course, then "cannot continue the course" makes the sense, but the content of the article tells us that human beings cannot support this kind of progress. Which is the right interpretation, to be continued, or to be supported? Thanks.

"At the start of the 21st century, humankind finds itself on a non-sustainable course – the course that, unless it is changed, could lead to grand scale catastrophes. At the same time, we are unlocking formidable new capabilities that lead to more exciting lives and glorious civilizations. This could be either humanities last century or the century that sets the world, on a course toward a spectacular future."

[Horsa]

It means that humanity can't continue along it's current path (course means path or direction here) because it leads to disaster. That disaster could be ecological in nature or some other catastrophe such as nuclear war or more likely a combination of catastrophes. Exactly what form the catastrophes may take is not clear from this extract.

[Anglika]

Originally Posted by Horsa

It means that humanity can't continue along its current path (course means path or direction here) because it leads to disaster. That disaster could be ecological in nature or some other catastrophe such as nuclear war or more likely a combination of catastrophes. Exactly what form the catastrophes may take is not clear from this extract.

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