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Meeting fundamental human needs while preserving the life-support systems of planet Earth is the essence of sustainable development, an idea that emerged in the early 1980s from scientific perspectives on the relation between nature and society (1). During the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, however, much of the science and technology community became increasingly estranged from the preponderantly societal and political processes that were shaping the sustainable development agenda. This is now changing as efforts to promote a sustainability transition emerge from international scientific programs, the world's scientific academies, and independent networks of scientists (2).