ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 defines and describes the concepts of sustainability, sustainable development, and resilience. It introduces systems thinking and considers emergence and tipping points. It sets modern life on Earth in the context of the new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene, research on planetary boundaries, global-scale issues driven by the dual drivers of consumption and population growth, and the major transitions in human history which have included fire, language, agriculture, and the Industrial Revolution, and now, the fifth great transition toward a sustainable, regenerative society.
