Our future in the Anthropocene biosphere

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed an interconnected and tightly coupled globalized world in rapid change. This article sets the scientific stage for understanding and responding to such change for global sustainability and resilient societies. We provide a systemic overview of the current situation where people and nature are dynamically intertwined and embedded in the biosphere, placing shocks and extreme events as part of this dynamic; humanity has become the major force in shaping the future of the Earth system as a whole; and the scale and pace of the human dimension have caused climate change, rapid loss of biodiversity, growing inequalities, and loss of resilience to deal with uncertainty and surprise. Taken together, human actions are challenging the biosphere foundation for a prosperous development of civilizations. The Anthropocene reality—of rising system-wide turbulence—calls for transformative change towards sustainable futures. Emerging technologies, social innovations, broader shifts in cultural repertoires, as well as a diverse portfolio of active stewardship of human actions in support of a resilient biosphere are highlighted as essential parts of such transformations.

Leveraging inner sustainability through cross-cultural learning: evidence from a Quichua field school in Ecuador

“…Interviewees reporting on the close human-nature connection of Quichua people and how this experience has influenced their perspective provides insights on the relationship to non-humans pathway. Reconnecting humans with the natural environment is a common theme in sustainability literature (e.g., Folke et al 2011Folke et al , 2021. It has been identified as a deep leverage point (Abson et al 2017;Woiwode et al 2021), and discussed as a dimension of inner worlds (e.g., Hedlund-de Witt et al 2014;Ives et al 2018).…”

Evolving Perspectives of Stewardship in the Seafood Industry

“…Growing awareness of climate change and the footprint of food production has also driven changes in social norms (Nyborg et al, 2016;Folke et al, 2021). Seafood has been identified as a more "climate-friendly" and healthy substitute for meat due to generally lower carbon emissions, and corresponding branding campaigns are aimed at promoting more consumption of certain types of seafood (Naylor et al, 2021).…”

“…These impacts range from serial depletion of marine fish populations, to the emergence and accelerating growth of multiple ocean industries, all the way to human-induced climate change altering marine food-webs, ecosystems, oxygen levels, and ocean acidification (Eriksson et al, 2015;Rocha et al, 2015;Blasiak et al, 2017b;Limburg et al, 2020). The tightly intertwined world and the rising awareness that human wellbeing and development are embedded within and dependent on a healthy ocean and a resilient biosphere (Folke et al, 2016(Folke et al, , 2021 shift the focus from managing ocean BOX 5 | New forums for shaping ocean policy and action. Several high profile multi-stakeholder efforts to influence and shape ocean policy have emerged in recent years, signaling an eagerness for approaches that extend beyond the formal structure of international governance processes (Box 2).…”

“…This also entails a fundamental emphasis on equity and equitable distribution of resources rather than simply increasing production to meet global nutrition goals in isolation from the rest of the sustainable development agenda (Farmery et al, 2021). The increasing attention in science, practice and policy on stewardship is a reflection of this shift in perspective (World Benchmarking Alliance, 2019;UN Global Compact, 2020a;Folke et al, 2021;MSC, 2021e;.…”

Global Mapping of Indigenous Resilience Facing the Challenge of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The rapid expansion of humanity has impacted the planet [34]. A new world order will necessarily have to rediscover the dependence on locally produced products and the importance of indigenous knowledge [35].…”