World human population is expected to reach upwards of 9 billion by 2050 and then level off over the next half-century. How can the transition to a stabilizing population also be a transition to sustainability? How can science and technology help to ensure that human needs are met while the planet's environment is nurtured and restored?
Our Common Journey examines these momentous questions to draw strategic connections between scientific research, technological development, and societies' efforts to achieve environmentally sustainable improvements in human well being. The book argues that societies should approach sustainable development not as a destination but as an ongoing, adaptive learning process. Speaking to the next two generations, it proposes a strategy for using scientific and technical knowledge to better inform future action in the areas of fertility reduction, urban systems, agricultural production, energy and materials use, ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation, and suggests an approach for building a new research agenda for sustainability science.
Our Common Journey documents large-scale historical currents of social and environmental change and reviews methods for "what if" analysis of possible future development pathways and their implications for sustainability. The book also identifies the greatest threats to sustainability—in areas such as human settlements, agriculture, industry, and energy—and explores the most promising opportunities for circumventing or mitigating these threats. It goes on to discuss what indicators of change, from children's birth-weights to atmosphere chemistry, will be most useful in monitoring a transition to sustainability.
Table of Contents |
skim chapter | |
|---|---|---|
| Front Matter | i-xvi | |
| Executive Summary | 1-14 | |
| Introduction | 15-20 | |
| 1 Our Common Journey | 21-58 | |
| 2 Trends and Transitions | 59-132 | |
| 3 Exploring the Future | 133-184 | |
| 4 Environmental Threats and Opportunities | 185-232 | |
| 5 Reporting on the Transition | 233-274 | |
| 6 Integrating Knowledge and Action | 275-332 | |
| Appendix A: Biographical Information on Board Members and Staff | 333-344 | |
| Appendix B: Acronyms | 345-348 | |
| Index | 349-363 | |
The National Academies Press and the Transportation Research Board have partnered with Copyright Clearance Center to offer a variety of options for reusing our content. You may request permission to:
For most Academic and Educational uses no royalties will be charged although you are required to obtain a license and comply with the license terms and conditions.
Click here to obtain permission forOur Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability.
For information on how to request permission to translate our work and for any other rights related query please click here.
For questions about using the Copyright.com service, please contact:
Copyright Clearance Center
22 Rosewood Drive
Danvers, MA 01923
Tel (toll free): 855/239-3415 (select option 1)
E-mail: info@copyright.com
Web: https://www.copyright.com
Loading stats for Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability...
Finding similar items...
