Global social challenges for development studies in the Crisis in the Anthopocene

David Simon, Oscar Gómez, Des Gasper, Kate Bennett, Carla-Leanne Washbourne, Ilaha Abasli, Farhad Mukhtarov, Sonia Dias, Amitabha Sarkar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This panel discussion session explores some of the central dimensions of the Crisis in the Anthropocene that constitute global social challenges in the context of development studies. The conference theme highlighted the profound human impact on our blue-green-brown planet, that is already breaching planetary boundaries and pushing us beyond the roughly 1.5°C tipping point. This threatens liveability and sustainability in many localities and regions and may well rapidly be ‘off the scale’ of imaginability and survivability. Inevitably, as mounting empirical evidence and increasingly clear projections by the IPCC and other authoritative bodies show, these impacts are unevenly spread, both socially and spatially, both now and over the coming decades. The urgency of appropriate action is undeniable and we already know many dimensions of the required adaptations and transformations. Yet progress mostly remains too slow. These challenges are vital to the development studies community – heterogenous as it is – with our concerns for tackling poverty, inequality, deprivation and environmental degradation globally and locally. Hence this symposium asks what the crisis means for development theory, policy and practice and what development studies can and should be contributing to – and, indeed, whether it is capable of – addressing some key dimensions that warrant greater attention.
Original languageEnglish
Article number27523349
Pages (from-to)229-246
Number of pages18
JournalGlobal Social Challenges Journal
Volume2
Issue number2
Early online date29 Nov 2023
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 29 Nov 2023

Keywords

  • crisis of the Anthropocene
  • development challenges
  • climate change
  • human security
  • circular economy
  • development finance
  • planetary health

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