Social Ecological Systems in Flux

A world in flux confronts the present generation, raising fears of systems gone awry. Whether it is the prospect of runaway climate change or the dangers of unbridled artificial intelligence, these dilemmas suggest that scientific and technological remedies have not been matched by progress in harne...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnual review of sociology Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 149 - 168
Main Authors Lejano, Raul P., Stokols, Daniel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto Annual Reviews, Inc 12.08.2024
Subjects
Artificial intelligence
Climate change
Collective action
Ecology
Governance
Human ecology
Integrative approach
Social systems
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Summary:A world in flux confronts the present generation, raising fears of systems gone awry. Whether it is the prospect of runaway climate change or the dangers of unbridled artificial intelligence, these dilemmas suggest that scientific and technological remedies have not been matched by progress in harnessing social and political capacities for collective action. Part of this impasse stems from a gap between the multidimensional nature of contemporary global crises and unidimensional modes of understanding and managing them. In this article, we describe an integrative approach rooted in the paradigm of social ecology that might enable us to tackle these challenges more comprehensively. We discuss, for example, how a social ecological perspective focuses attention not only on the carbon footprint of society but also on the social footprint of carbon. We review the tenets of social ecology and reflect on its promise for spurring new modes of collaborative research and collective action, including more effective strategies for planetary governance.
ISSN:0360-0572
1545-2115
DOI:10.1146/annurev-soc-083023-034136