%0 Journal Article
%T The Century Ahead: Searching for Sustainability
%A Paul D. Raskin
%A Christi Electris
%A Richard A. Rosen
%J Sustainability
%D 2010
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/su2082626
%X The global future lies before us as a highly uncertain and contested landscape with numerous perils along the way. This study explores possible pathways to sustainability by considering in quantitative detail four contrasting scenarios for the twenty-first century. The analysis reveals vividly the risks of conventional development approaches and the real danger of socio-ecological descent. Nonetheless, the paper underscores that a Great Transition scenario¡ªturning toward a civilization of enhanced human well-being and environmental resilience¡ªremains an option, and identifies a suite of strategic and value changes for getting there. A fundamental shift in the development paradigm is found to be an urgent necessity for assuring a sustainable future and, as well, a hopeful opportunity for creating a world of enriched lives, human amity, and a healthy ecosphere.
%K sustainability
%K scenarios
%K global
%K simulation
%K development
%K climate
%K energy
%K water
%K hunger
%K agriculture
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/2/8/2626