Transformational change: creating a safe operating space for humanity

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Many ecologists and environmental scientists witnessing the scale of current environmental change are becoming increasingly alarmed about how humanity is pushing the boundaries of the Earth's systems beyond sustainable levels. The world urgently needs global society to redirect itself toward a more sustainable future: one that moves intergenerational equity and environmental sustainability to the top of the political agenda, and to the core of personal and societal belief systems. Scientific and technological innovations are not enough: the global community, individuals, civil society, corporations, and governments, need to adjust their values and beliefs to one in which sustainability becomes the new global paradigm society. We argue that the solution requires transformational change, driven by a realignment of societal values, where individuals act ethically as an integral part of an interconnected society and biosphere. Transition management provides a framework for achieving transformational change, by giving special attention to reflective learning, interaction, integration, and experimentation at the level of society, thereby identifying the system conditions and type of changes necessary for enabling sustainable transformation.

Take me to your leader: Using socio-technical energy transitions (STET) modelling to explore the role of actors in decarbonisation pathways

“…Prominent in much of the transitions literature is the idea of imagining societal change from the "bottom-up" through social movements or actions by civil society, as opposed to state actors [120]. Central to this are ideas of "transformational change in societal values" [121], "deliberate transformation" of beliefs, values and worldviews [122,123], and a "worldwide shift in individual values towards sustainability" [108]. The main mechanism for representing the actions of non-state actors in the model are the investment behaviours displayed by social groups when they make choices about replacing capital assets.…”

Development of a Metric of Aquatic Invertebrates for Volunteers (MAIV): A Simple and Friendly Biotic Metric to Assess Ecological Quality of Streams

“…But identification should be complemented with other tools [11,42,43] such as simplified identification keys [27]. Hence, if it is desired to elicit new perspectives on how the behavior of individuals connect them to services provided by their ecosystem, and if the premise that "individuals act ethically as an integral part of an interconnected society and biosphere" is to be accomplished, it should be reached through personal belief rather than rational understanding [50].…”

What is the evidence for planetary tipping points?

“…If the boundaries did exist at a global level, there is a good chance they could not be known until well after the regime shift or boundary crossing had occurred. This is because of our lack of our understanding of complex systems and the wild fluctuations in state variables that have occurred historically and A hope often expressed is that flagging the crossing of these boundaries as a significant risk will provoke decision makers and the public into taking actions to mitigate harmful global changes (McAlpine et al, 2015). Such a framework, of global tipping points counterbalanced by secure safe spaces within planetary boundaries, is conceptually elegant and politically seductive.…”