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This is a crisis: Facing up to the age of environmental breakdown

This is a crisis: Facing up to the age of environmental breakdown

Full Title: This is a crisis: Facing up to the age of environmental breakdown
Author(s): Laurie Laybourn-Langton, Lesley Rankin, and Darren Baxter
Publisher(s): Institute for Public Policy Research
Publication Date: February 1, 2019
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

Mainstream political and policy debates have failed to recognise that human impacts on the environment have reached a critical stage, potentially eroding the conditions upon which socioeconomic stability is possible.

Human-induced environmental change is occurring at an unprecedented scale and pace and the window of opportunity to avoid catastrophic outcomes in societies around the world is rapidly closing. These outcomes include economic instability, large-scale involuntary migration, conflict, famine and the potential collapse of social and economic systems. The historical disregard of environmental considerations in most areas of policy has been a catastrophic mistake.

In response, this paper argues that three shifts in understanding across political and policy communities are required: of the scale and pace of environmental breakdown, the implications for societies, and the subsequent need for transformative change.

All statements and/or propositions in discussion prompts are meant exclusively to stimulate discussion and do not represent the views of OurEnergyPolicy.org, its Partners, Topic Directors or Experts, nor of any individual or organization. Comments by and opinions of Expert participants are their own.

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