http://www.sciencemag.org/collections/tomorrows-earth.

New this month: how innate human behavior influences people’s actions with regards to the environment; how to reconcile agricultural production with environmental enhancement; and how scientists can help people appreciate the value of the natural environment.

Coming next month: scientists’ thoughts on how to cooperatively manage the climate and other commons; how the global community can jointly address the climate change challenge; and why a change in societal perspective on humanity’s place on the planet is necessary for long term sustainable existence.

As the human population has grown over recent decades, our profound impact on the entire planet has become starkly apparent. Increasing affluence has led to expectations of good-quality health care, full employment, and the ability to live in cities that are safe, affordable, and clean. Yet these advantages for some come at a cost to others and to the planet itself. Human activities have led to a warming climate, massive landscape conversion, pollution, depletion of natural resources (crucially, fresh water and soil), defaunation, and loss of biodiversity. Today, global human society stands at a decision point. Business-as-usual approaches are likely to lead to catastrophic changes to our planet and our health and well-being. What will it take for universal recognition of our perilous position, and how can we begin to make the often-difficult changes required to live in a more sustainable, cooperative, and compassionate way? In this special series, we call attention to these choices and explore some of the possible routes to a more sustainable future