A long-standing debate in public health and wider society concerns the implications of life choices and life chances for health and wellbeing. While both are influential, generally, the debate concludes that life chances trump life choices, and they do so unequally, exacerbating social inequities. We review this debate in the context of increasing environmental resource constraints, including climate change, rising energy and food costs, and poverty-related food and nutritional insecurity.
We conclude there is a need for a ‘third revolution’ in human history – one that follows the earlier agrarian and industrial transformations – if our civilisation is to survive. But considering the limited amount of ‘choice’ available, how practical is this?
