History at a Turning Point
Our journey to planetary civilization
The world has entered the Planetary Phase of Civilization, a new epoch of accelerated change and heightened risk. Long threads of interdependence—economic, cultural, technological, political, and environmental—are binding the planet’s people and biosphere into a single community of fate. Some form of globalized civilization will take shape in the coming decades, but its ultimate character remains uncertain and contested. The path of world development depends on how we respond collectively to emergent crises and opportunities.