Reconnecting Humanity to the Biosphere and Planetary Opportunities
Folke et al., (2011) "Reconnecting to the Biosphere" AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 40:7: 719-738
In a globalized society, there are no ecosystems without people and no people that do not depend on ecosystem functioning. They are intertwined and thus, ecosystem services are generated by social–ecological systems. Social–ecological systems are dynamic and connected from the local to the global, in complex webs of interactions subject to gradual and abrupt changes. Dynamic and complex social–ecological systems require strategies that build resilience rather than attempting to control for optimal production and short-term gain in environments assumed to be relatively stable. The shift from people and nature as separated parts to interdependent social–ecological systems provides exciting opportunities for societal development in tune with the biosphere; a global sustainability agenda for humanity. In this article, we focus on the necessity and challenge of reconnecting humanity to the biosphere. It is argued that this is a fundamental prerequisite in the search of planetary opportunities that meet both global sustainability criteria and human development needs.
Reading articles by Folke always put me in a state of deep optimistic thoughtfulness (yes, planetary opportunities!) equally balanced with a daunting feeling of real-world derangement.