Great Transition is used by the Great Transition Initiative and its predecessor, the
Global Scenario Group
The Global Scenario Group (GSG) was an international, interdisciplinary body convened in 1995 by the Tellus Institute and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to develop scenarios for world development in the twenty-first century. Further deve ...
(GSG), to describe a vision of a just and sustainable global future. The term was originally coined by
Kenneth E. Boulding in ''The Meaning of the 20th Century – The Great Transition'' (1964) and describes the shift from
pre-modern
The term premodern refers to the period in human history immediately preceding the modern era, as well as the conceptual framework in the humanities and social sciences relating to the artistic, literary and philosophical practices which preceded t ...
to post-modern culture, and the four possible courses of action that these organizations believe will allow humanity to successfully manage the Great Transition.
Elements of the Great Transition vision include egalitarian social and ecological values, increased inter-human connectivity, improved
quality of life
Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
, and a healthy planet, as well as the absence of poverty, war, and environmental destruction. The Great Transition concept was cited by
Prime Minister of Bhutan Jigme Thinley, Josh Ryan-Collins of the
New Economics Foundation
The New Economics Foundation (NEF) is a British think-tank that promotes "social, economic and environmental justice".
NEF was founded in 1986 by the leaders of The Other Economic Summit (TOES) with the aim of working for a "new model of wealth ...
, and the Capital Institute. It was used as a theme for the 2011 SmartCSOs conference on strategies for Civil Society Organisations in London.
History
The Great Transition was first introduced by the
Global Scenario Group
The Global Scenario Group (GSG) was an international, interdisciplinary body convened in 1995 by the Tellus Institute and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to develop scenarios for world development in the twenty-first century. Further deve ...
(GSG), an international body of scientists convened in 1995 by the
Tellus Institute
The Tellus Institute is an American non-profit organization established in 1976 with the aim of bringing scientific rigor and systemic vision to critical environmental and social issues. Tellus has conducted thousands of projects throughout the wo ...
and
Stockholm Environment Institute to examine the requirements for a transition to a sustainable global society. The GSG set out to describe and analyze scenarios for the future of the earth as it entered a
planetary phase of civilization.
[See http://www.gsg.org/gsgpub.html and Paul Raskin, Tariq Banuri, Gilberto Gallopín, Pablo Gutman, Al Hammond, Robert Kates, and Rob Swart]
''Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead''
(Boston: Stockholm Environment Institute, 2002)
Great Transition Initiative
Further development of Great Transition scenarios is carried on by the Great Transition Initiative (GTI). Launched in 2003, GTI is a global network of several hundred scholars, intellectuals, civil society leaders, and activists working to develop visions and pathways for a “Great Transition" to a future of equity, solidarity and ecological sustainability. The Initiative was relaunched as an online journal and discussion network in 2014.
See also
*
Anthropocene
The Anthropocene ( ) is a proposed geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change.
, neither the International Commissio ...
*
Global Citizens Movement The global citizens movement is a constellation of organized and overlapping citizens' groups seeking to foster global solidarity in policy and consciousness. The term is often used synonymously with the anti-globalization movement or the global ju ...
*
Planetary boundaries
Planetary boundaries is a concept highlighting human-caused perturbations of Earth systems making them relevant in a way not accommodated by the environmental boundaries separating the three ages within the Holocene epoch. Crossing a planetary ...
*
Transition town
The terms transition town, transition initiative and transition model refer to grassroot community projects that aim to increase self-sufficiency to reduce the potential effects of peak oil, climate destruction, and economic instabilitythrough r ...
*
Eco-communalism
The Global Scenario Group (GSG) was an international, interdisciplinary body convened in 1995 by the Tellus Institute and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to develop scenarios for world development in the twenty-first century. Further de ...
*
Tellus Institute
The Tellus Institute is an American non-profit organization established in 1976 with the aim of bringing scientific rigor and systemic vision to critical environmental and social issues. Tellus has conducted thousands of projects throughout the wo ...
References
Publications
* Parris, Thomas. "Bytes of Note: A Crystal Ball for Sustainability." ''Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development''. 44, no. 7 (2002): 3-4. 10.1080/00139150209605799#.VZmxB0bLdyE http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00139150209605799#.VZmxB0bLdyE.
* Rajan, Chella
''Global Politics and Institutions'' Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006.
* Raskin, Paul
''GT Today: A Report from the Future'' Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006.
*Raskin, Paul
''Journey to Earthland: A Great Transition to Planetary Civilization'' Boston: Tellus Institute, 2016.
* Revkin, Andy
''
nternational Herald Tribune'. September 4, 2002.
* Stutz, John
''The Role of Well-Being in a Great Transition'' Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006.
* White, Allen
''Transforming the Corporation'' Boston: Tellus Institute, 2006.
External links
Great Transition InitiativeGlobal Scenario GroupPopular Science - Four Futures- an article in Popular Science about the Great Transition and three other GSG scenarios, with infographics
Video - Visions of a Sustainable World- a YouTube video with highlights from an interview with Dr. Paul Raskin of GSG and the Tellus Institute (from a speaker series at Yale University)
{{sustainability
Economics of sustainability
Sustainable development
Social justice
Environmental movements