Our Future on Earth

Future Earth (2020). Our Future on Earth. FutureEarth

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Abstract

This report provides a snapshot of our world at the start of 2020, helping to make sense of the state of this unique biophysical human ecosystem we inhabit as a planetary changing species. It combines up-to-date research with the latest world events, including physical and social science perspectives to explore where we are now, where we hope to go, and how we might get there. It also includes a novel survey of scientists to rank their top concerns for global systemic risks in the coming years.

Humans are now the main driver behind planetary change, and human systems must be targeted if we are to do something about it. That means addressing societal systems including populism, finance, and information transmission, alongside the practices and technologies that emit greenhouse gases, from fossil-fuel burning to food production. This is a particularly exciting time to look at these issues: the past year has been one of extraordinary social awakening to the hazards of environmental change, and of demands for action towards a sustainable future. As 2019 unfolded, people began talking of “climate breakdown” and demanding their governments and institutions declare a “climate emergency” (Oxford Dictionaries chose “climate emergency” as its 2019 word of the year).

Item Type: Other
Research Programs: Transitions to New Technologies (TNT)
Depositing User: Luke Kirwan
Date Deposited: 11 Feb 2020 12:25
Last Modified: 27 Aug 2021 17:32
URI: https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/16292

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