Humanity is overwhelming and degrading the Earth’s life support systems on which all life depends. Much of the Earth’s fresh water is contaminated, in short supply, and subject to competing claims. Continued reliance on non-renewable sources of energy is unsustainable and faces increasingly unacceptable trade-offs for both regional and global environments. The climate is undergoing irreversible changes that raise stark questions of justice. In short, Earth has entered a human-dominated epoch that many scientists refer to as the Anthropocene. Yet, prevailing social and political norms continue to rely on thought systems that insufficiently account for current knowledge of how human society interacts with and affects Earth’s life systems. Proving how the social sciences and humanities connect to ecological realities is urgent.

“Economics for the Anthropocene”, or E4A, is a diverse partnership of 25 academic, government, and NGO partners designed to contribute to this monumental effort. E4A’s overarching goal is to articulate, teach and apply a new understanding of human-Earth relationships grounded in and informed by the insights of contemporary science.

We invite you to learn more about the E4A Partnership.