Welcome to the anthropocene

Abstract The paper argues that humanity's impacts upon the world have ushered in a new era that has been called ‘the Anthropocene.’ The paper argues for a number of shifts in focus in individual and social efforts to understand and deal with change. These include: becoming more aware of current contradictions; embracing insights into the state of the global system; acknowledging, valuing and applying signals of change; cultivating scepticism about the assumed importance of science and technology; exploring the potential of human, cultural and institutional innovation; and designing and implementing a range of high quality responses – especially in education. The critical role of the modern university is stressed as it is considered the one social entity that could make the greatest contribution in the shortest time.