G Jacques Richardson* , and R Walter Erdelen
The authors peer into the future, after COVID-19 has passed (if ever). The growing human population remains the top concern-what systems analysts call a ‘wicked’ challenge and not soon resolvable. Returning to 2019 or doing nothing at all will not work obliging us to adopt a duo of interlinked strategies. First, reduce pressures on the environment; second, mend our socioeconomic habits, envisaging a world that was not before. Changes must be significant. We discuss eventual mechanisms to support the United Nations in efforts to make sustainability the key characteristic of our future on planet Earth. The wastrel’s reckless ways must cede to reason. How life is lived will decide if Homo sapiens can keep its home on Earth—or even continue to exist. Courage should prove key to a saner future. This may require the casting of new forms of multi-scale governance of our highly interrelated hyper-network at the level of Earth system. We also consider new arrangements for leadership such as multi-nation options, a regional setup, or a multilateral organizational scheme such as the UN’s. Further, paradigm change is suggested, linked to basic reform of the UN itself, various schemes for transformative change, a democratic world parliament or a cohabitation model. A Great Reset mechanism for the time during and after COVID-19 should there be such an era may facilitate the deep changes we need. In sum, profound reflections over the right developmental trajectory are essential for our future in ‘our’ time: the Anthropocene.
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Virology: Current Research received 187 citations as per Google Scholar report
