articleGlobal Environmental ChangeOct 26, 2015HYBRID OA

Plausible and desirable futures in the Anthropocene: A new research agenda

Australian National University · Arizona State University · +13 more institutions

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Abstract

While the concept of the Anthropocene reflects the past and present nature, scale and magnitude of human impacts on the Earth System, its true significance lies in how it can be used to guide attitudes, choices, policies and actions that influence the future. Yet, to date much of the research on the Anthropocene has focused on interpreting past and present changes, while saying little about the future. Likewise, many futures studies have been insufficiently rooted in an understanding of past changes, in particular the long-term co-evolution of bio-physical and human systems. The Anthropocene perspective is one that encapsulates a world of intertwined drivers, complex dynamic structures, emergent phenomena and…

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Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Anthropocene
  • Futures contract
  • Earth system science
  • Futures studies
  • Unintended consequences
  • Environmental ethics
  • Sustainability
  • Perspective (graphical)
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