ABSTRACT
Sustainable development has become an urgent global priority. The outcomes of rapid economic growth and population increase, characterized by intensive energy use, food production, urbanization, and waste generation, are gradually being observed. These human pressures are disrupting the life-supporting properties of the “Earth System” which our societies rely on (Rockström et al., 2009). Climate change, depletion of freshwater resources, and degradation of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are all evidence of widespread shifts in Earth System processes, with some researchers calling for a new geological era termed the “Anthropocene” (Crutzen, 2002).
