TremendousprogresshasbeenmadebytheresearchersinunderstandingthefunctioningoftheEarthSystemand,inparticular,theimpactofhumanactions.Althoughthisknowledgecaninformmanagementofspecificfeaturesofourworldintransitionbutsocietiesneedknowledgethatwillallowthemtosimultaneouslyreduceglobalenvironmentalriskswhilealsomeetingeconomicdevelopmentgoals.