Pathways

To secure the long-term wellbeing of people and the planet, humanity must live in harmony with the natural world. Which means engaging in everyday activities that have a net positive effect on nature.

By using frontier technologies in ways that allow us to enrich, rather than deplete, our environment; and learning from the knowledge of indigenous peoples – whose values and practices are protecting 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity, we can achieve a symbiotic oneness that secures our collective wellbeing.

And in adopting values like the Haudenosaunee philosophy ‘the seventh-generation principles’ to live with nature in a way that will benefit children seven generations into the future, we can again become an integral part of the natural world.

Lifelong learning should teach us to see ourselves as guardians of nature and foster an appreciation of the active role we must play in nurturing it.

Education can teach us to embrace this collective responsibility in new and creative ways. With ‘alternative’ teachers like indigenous leaders working in classrooms traditional wisdom can be shared with young children; while the power of art and film, as well as social movements, community events, and digital platforms can complement a journey of lifelong learning that uses frontier technologies to put nature centre stage.

Compulsory learning at various stages of life will deepen our understanding of the responsibilities we have as environmental stewards of this great planet.

Technologies like big data, AI, digital twinning platforms and cutting-edge earth observation systems are some of the innovations that can help us to create a more resilient, sustainable future able to support the wellbeing of humanity and the natural world.

Frontier technologies governed ethically in the collective interests of people and planet will  safeguard the global commons and human society, while also providing us the tools to deliver new biological and technical solutions that will increase sustainable abundance, resource stewardship and circularity.

Managing our natural resources effectively means providing equitable access to the natural resources that sustain our lives and livelihoods – clean water, fresh air, and fertile land. Doing this in participatory ways will allow us to protect these vital ecosystem services and secure a climate-resilient, water-secure world.

Collaborative and diverse management networks can facilitate this by allowing for decision-making to be made at the local level – backed by fair access to the geospatial, AI and big data technologies that can monitor and protect these natural resources for the communities that rely on them.

Cooperation, not competition, underpinning transboundary relationships will allow for the collective conservation, restoration, and regeneration of ecosystems spanning political borders.

International agreements advancing this serve as a starting point, while the equitable use and availability of frontier technologies will be instrumental in developing dynamic cultures of transboundary management. Legally binding global agreements underpinning the fair management of transboundary resources will also ensure the rights and wellbeing of those that are most vulnerable as we finally stand together to care for our shared planet.

Living in neighbourhoods that merge with the natural world will create regenerative and restorative ecosystems designed to optimise human and ecological health.

Neighbourhoods built using circular materials and through practices like biophilic design and a one health approach will offer vibrant lifestyles for people of all ages. While big data and artificial intelligence systems will be integrated to provide real-time, comprehensive information on all components of these human-natural systems to allow them to thrive within a new interconnected world of symbiotic biomes.

Regenerative food production practices that work with nature will boost crop yields and surrounding ecosystems to ensure no one goes hungry. Guided by the principles of permaculture, our food system will prioritise practices that improve agroecological health by, for example, strengthening water retention, returning nutrients to the soil, and restoring local biodiversity.

Using frontier technologies that harness artificial intelligence will build datasets that can be used to embed regenerative agriculture practices that can produce nutritious food that is accessible and affordable to all.

Frontier technologies can create innovative financial mechanisms that channel funding to companies, organizations, and individuals committed to building a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world.

A shift in how we conceptualize value will allow us to see our wealth as inextricably linked to the welfare of others, so no one benefits while others are suffering, as we focus on using our time to have net-positive impacts on the environment and human society.