Beyond sustainability: environmental management for the Anthropocene Epoch

Cop Human activities have vastly altered the Earth. Scientists posit that Earth has entered a new geological epoch, termed the ‘Anthropocene’. Yet, although physical conditions have changed, human socio-economic endeavors still proceed as in the past, on the basis of increasingly obsolete assumptions about natural systems and resources (‘business as usual’). As currently conceived, sustainable development is insufficient to copewith the global trends in environmental degradation and the emerging conditions of life on Earth. A holistic approach will be needed. Environmental management systems, designed for sustainable development, can help society adapt to the challenges of the Anthropocene, but their use remains marginal. Greater recourse to two fundamental principles, cooperation and resilience, is essential to build effectively toward holistic environmental stewardship. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.