Bright spots: seeds of a good Anthropocene

Abstract

The scale, rate, and intensity of humans' environmental impact has engendered broad discussion about how to find plausible pathways of development that hold the most promise for fostering a better future in the Anthropocene. However, the dominance of dystopian visions of irreversible environmental degradation and societal collapse, along with overly optimistic utopias and business-as-usual scenarios that lack insight and innovation, frustrate progress. Here, we present a novel approach to thinking about the future that builds on experiences drawn from a diversity of practices, worldviews, values, and regions that could accelerate the adoption of pathways to transformative change (change that goes beyond incremental improvements). Using an analysis of 100 initiatives, or "seeds of a good Anthropocene", we find that emphasizing hopeful elements of existing practice offers the opportunity to: (1) understand the values and features that constitute a good Anthropocene, (2) determine the processes that lead to the emergence and growth of initiatives that fundamentally change human-environmental relationships, and (3) generate creative, bottom-up scenarios that feature well-articulated pathways toward a more positive future.

The concept of the Anthropocene as a game-changer: a new context for social innovation and transformations to sustainability

“…The Anthropocene construct would indicate this reduction of human impact is necessary, but it may be insufficient because questions remain about whether these same initiatives, such as insulating a home, have the potential to fundamentally rewire humanenvironmental relationships. Instead, the need exists to generate, adopt, and institutionalize innovations that build on a vision that humans can be a positive force on this planet (Bennett et al 2016). For instance, ideas such as regenerative economies, integrated fish farms, and agricultural systems that create more nature when used would not only minimize impact, but would ensure humans are contributing to the restoration, renewal, and regeneration of the Earth's biosphere (Olsson and Galaz 2012).…”

“…Indeed, it is already doing so. https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol22/iss2/art31/ Debates and analytical frameworks for considering how to secure a "good life" for people today and in the future have proliferated in recent literature, as are discussions about altering the unsustainable trajectory of human activity that earned the label Anthropocene in the first place (Rockström et al 2009, Leach et al 2013, Bennett et al 2016. The concept has highlighted a growing sense of urgency; we need to better understand the processes of transformation and innovation and marry that knowledge with our growing understanding of complex socialecological interactions to build the capacity to both respond to new disturbances and risks and to move toward sustainable pathways.…”

Using futures methods to create transformative spaces: visions of a good Anthropocene in southern Africa

“…It is increasingly recognized that navigating the challenges posed by the Anthropocene requires more than isolated and piecemeal solutions to specific social, ecological, or technical problems; it requires large, systemic transformations in social-ecological systems (SES) for the world to transition onto a more sustainable, long-term future trajectory (Bennett et al 2016. Currently the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are used to guide interventions aimed at bringing about more sustainable and just transitions by 2030 (United Nations 2015).…”

“…The case study forms part of the global Seeds of Good Anthropocenes (SOGA) project (Bennett et al 2016, Pereira et al 2018. The SOGA project is premised on the idea that "seeds" of more positive Anthropocene futures exist in the present.…”

Applying Place-Based Social-Ecological Research to Address Water Scarcity: Insights for Future Research

“…Thus, generating solutions for particular regions could be facilitated by communicating and sharing experiences and lessons from regions across the world that are coping with related challenges [17,23]. WaterSES (www.pecswaterses.com) is an international, interdisciplinary research team within PECS that promotes placed-based comparative research to study the SES dynamics that cause, and are caused by, water scarcity across international research sites in Sweden, Spain, China, South Africa and the USA (Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, and Idaho) (Figure 1).…”