We are the first generation to recognize that humanity has become a force capable of undermining Earth’s capacity to support our prosperity. This is a new insight and therefore a formidable privilege, but it also represents a colossal responsibility. (Chapter 1)
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We live in the globalized phase of environmental change, where social, economic, and environ- mental changes interact at the global scale. In this new era of planetary turbulence and unexpected feedbacks, our economies and the world as we know it is at risk of undergoing major changes. (Chapters 2 and 8)
The pace and scale of human changes to Earth are now so significant that we have entered a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, where we human beings, the Anthro, constitute a major force of change at the planetary scale. (Chapters 2 and 3)
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As shocks and surprises come more frequently, resilience will be the key to human development, including our capacity to withstand change, adapt to it, and transform our societies in the face of crises. (Chapters 2 and 9)
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A core strategy to achieve resilience and human prosperity will be to preserve what is left of nature’s beauty. To do that, we must ensure
that the social-ecological systems we all live in host a rich variety of life forms with different ecological functions. (Chapter 10)
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The Holocene, the extra- ordinarily stable inter- glacial epoch we have enjoyed for the past 10,000 years, is the only planetary state that we know for a fact can support our modern economy. Hence, even though we have entered the Anthropocene, we must rapidly return to Holocene-like conditions, not just for the planet’s sake, but for our own sake as well. (Chapter 3)
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Our Human Quest is to bend the curves of negative global environmental change this decade to support development, as humanity moves toward a population of nine billion people and beyond. (Chapter 2)