Creating positive futures for humanity on earth

Robert Costanza, Elizabeth M.B. Doran, Tatiana Gladkikh, Ida Kubiszewski, Valerie A. Luzadis and Eric Zencey

Chapter 2 in Sustainable Wellbeing Futures, 2020, pp 17-26 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: We cannot predict the future, but we can design and help create the future we want. To do this we need to better understand how cultures evolve and change and how to overcome societal addictions and roadblocks to positive change. Creating a shared vision is a critical step in this process. Goal setting, envisioning and scenario planning are important tools that have been used to guide and enable transitions in businesses, communities, and individuals. On the world stage, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important step toward creating a shared vision of a positive future for all countries on Earth. This chapter discusses these theories, tools, and processes and how they have been used to create alternative futures to motivate and guide major transitions. It then proposes a research and action agenda to enable better understanding of cultural evolution, how to direct it toward desired goals, and how to create a shared vision of the goal – a world of sustainable wellbeing we all want.

Keywords: Economics and Finance; Environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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