Scientific Council Meeting - Earth Among the Exoplanets – A Long-Term Perspective on Sustainability

On the eve of the meeting of the Scientific Council of the Max Planck Society, the 10th edition of the series Basic Research and Sustainability is dedicated to a comprehensive review of the issue of sustainability and our life on this planet. What can we learn about climate change and other global changes from recent research on solar planets and exoplanets, and in particular on the atmospheres of other planets? What can insights into planetary evolution teach us about our own challenges in maintaining livable conditions for humanity on Earth? Are there lessons for the controversial issues of geoengineering and human settlement on other planets? How might research into exoplanets and the possibility of life on other planets affect our perception of humanity’s responsibility for its home planet? What are the long-term prospects for a human-created technosphere and a human- dominated period in Earth history, such as the proposed Anthropocene epoch, when considered from a broader planetary perspective? How can astronomers contribute to sustainability on Earth?