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The debate on the Anthropocene has become passionate during the past few years. This is partly because social scientists and humanists have adapted the concept creatively for their own research, as well as criticized the dominant role of natural sciences in defining the Anthropocene. We claim that to achieve a new level of transdisciplinarity it is vital for the Anthropocene research to fully acknowledge the theoretical, methodological and practical issues involved. We argue that inevitable as well as fruitful antagonisms can be identified between different disciplines and practices of trans- and interdisciplinary research improved by learning from these experiences. Here we analyze three ideas to enhance future transdisciplinary communication. First, we shed light on the current condition of transdisciplinarity in Anthropocene research by examining the challenges in Earth System science. Second, we widen the view on Anthropocene research by defining four different disciplinarily oriented research approaches to the Anthropocene: geological, biological, social, and cultural Anthropocene. Third, we reflect on the future challenges of merging these approaches into a new transdisciplinary Anthropocene research.

As the literature on environmental security has evolved and widened, knowledge of the full range of potential consequences of environmental change for different societies remains scattered. This article contributes to a more comprehensive approach to the implications of environmental change by providing a three-level framework of the security impacts. In particular, it will address gaps in knowledge by pointing out the relevance of geopolitical and structural factors behind environmental security impacts. The article will focus on the cases of two countries, Finland and Sweden—both seen as stable, high-income democracies that are well equipped to adapt to climate risks. Yet even under these conditions, preparedness to threat-prevention will not follow without a recognition of the full range of risks, including ones that are linked to socio-economic and geopolitical factors. On the basis of the Finnish and Swedish cases, the article proposes an analytical framework of three categories of environmental security impacts: local, geopolitical and structural.

Over the last two decades, the bioeconomy has emerged as a key political idea in framing a low-carbon transition. Bioeconomy is particularly important in Finland due to the country’s large forestry sector. The bioeconomy has reframed the Finnish forestry industry as sustainable and placed forestry at the centre of the national economy. This has led to the constitution of a new forest policy regime: the bioeconomy regime. However, in the era of climate mitigation, forests are expected to serve as carbon sinks. Increasing the harvesting of forests, a Finnish bioeconomy policy, would decrease the size of forest sinks, while increasing net emissions from forests. This aspect of climate science has challenged the Finnish bioeconomic strategy. This chapter analyses the emergence of the bioeconomy regime and how the regime has been challenged by climate science. Finally, it examines the communication strategies used and the status of the Finnish bioeconomy on the world stage.

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