Abstract
We assume that sustainable and equitable futures require non-declining humanwellbeing built upon a diverse wealth base, including natural, human, built, socialand knowledge capital. We hypothesise that human wellbeing is linked to this wealthbase via social-ecological interactions: systems of biophysical processes transformingand transporting material and energy, mediated by social processes. Attempts tounderstand complex social-ecological systems highlight the incompleteness ofcurrent knowledge and the illusiveness of comprehensive knowledge of such systems.Resilience assessments provide useful insights into system responses to shocks.We consider past and potential shocks to Australia and the characteristics of socialecologicalsystems that provide resilience to them. We draw more general insightsabout resilience in Australia, including identifying signs of systemic drivers ofpossible futures and the requirements for adaptive and transformative capacities tocreate diverse options for maintaining wellbeing.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Negotiating our future |
| Subtitle of host publication | Living scenarios for Australia to 2050. volume 1 : syntheses |
| Editors | Michael R. Raupach, Anthony J. McMichael, John J. Finnigan, Lenore Manderson, Brian H. Walker |
| Place of Publication | Canberra |
| Publisher | Australian Academy of Science |
| Chapter | 2 |
| Pages | 54-92 |
| Number of pages | 39 |
| Volume | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780858473409 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |