Earth stewardship: Shaping a sustainable future through interacting policy and norm shifts

Abstract

Transformation toward a sustainable future requires an earth stewardship approach to shift society from its current goal of increasing material wealth to a vision of sustaining built, natural, human, and social capital—equitably distributed across society, within and among nations. Widespread concern about earth’s current trajectory and support for actions that would foster more sustainable pathways suggests potential social tipping points in public demand for an earth stewardship vision. Here, we draw on empirical studies and theory to show that movement toward a stewardship vision can be facilitated by changes in either policy incentives or social norms. Our novel contribution is to point out that both norms and incentives must change and can do so interactively. This can be facilitated through leverage points and complementarities across policy areas, based on values, system design, and agency. Potential catalysts include novel democratic institutions and engagement of non-governmental actors, such as businesses, civic leaders, and social movements as agents for redistribution of power. Because no single intervention will transform the world, a key challenge is to align actions to be synergistic, persistent, and scalable.

Microeconomic adaptation to severe climate disturbances on Australian coral reefs

“…the most important, response to coral bleaching (this was the primary response for 30% of the treatment sample). This could be interpreted as evidence for resource users seeking to restore service provision as triggered by changes in ecosystems (Chapin et al 2010 , 2022 ). The likelihood of responding by engaging in reef restoration was strongly affected by disturbance severity; i.e., the effect was larger than that for other adaptive responses.…”

We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems

“…In very general terms, there are three non-exclusive approaches to stopping climate change: 1) Reduce human GHG emissions, 2) Protect ecosystems to sustain natural GHG sinks, and 3) Attempt to control the Earth's energy balance through geoengineering. The first two approaches are feasible, cost-effective, and come with a wide array of co-benefits (Foley et al, 2011;Breyer et al, 2021;Chapin et al, 2022). For example, eliminating fossil fuel burning could prevent 10.2 million premature deaths each year and add US$10 trillion annually in economic benefits from improved air quality (Errigo et al, 2020;Shindell et al, 2021;Vohra et al, 2021;Abbott B., 2022).…”

“…For example, eliminating fossil fuel burning could prevent 10.2 million premature deaths each year and add US$10 trillion annually in economic benefits from improved air quality (Errigo et al, 2020;Shindell et al, 2021;Vohra et al, 2021;Abbott B., 2022). Likewise, collaboratively expanding conservation of intact ecosystems enhances biosphere integrity and can restore rights of Indigenous and immigrant peoples of the permafrost domain (Steffen et al, 2018;Watson et al, 2018;Díaz et al, 2019;Bergstrom et al, 2021;Chapin et al, 2022). Unfortunately, the third approach (geoengineering) is both less proven and more prone to unintended consequences (Lawrence et al, 2018;Zarnetske et al, 2021;Mettiäinen et al, 2022;Versen et al, 2022).…”

“…While pursuing abrupt GHG drawdown at global scales, we must support and empower communities in the permafrost domain who are adapting to unprecedented environmental and economic changes, and who are essential to the sustainable conservation of these ecosystems (Díaz et al, 2019;Proverbs et al, 2020;Chapin et al, 2022;Mettiäinen et al, 2022). For both practical and ethical reasons, we need to follow the guidance of the Indigenous and other local peoples with the most at stake and the deepest knowledge of the complex ecological responses across the permafrost domain (Kimmerer, 2002;Proverbs et al, 2020;Chapin, 2021).…”

Reviving the unique potential of recreational fishers as environmental stewards of aquatic ecosystems

“…We integrate environmental social norms (Chapin et al, 2022;Nyborg, 2018), and propose that establishing an ethical foundation for stewardship involves four core experience-related components (left in Figure 1). The first two components are direct nature experiences and the development of environmental values and mental models of ecosystem functioning.…”