Incorporating Existential Risks into Sustainable Development Research

In this chapter, I investigate dimensions of current sustainable development research in the face of existential risks, i.e. potential global threats to humanity that could lead to human extinction or civilizational collapse. My methodology includes literature reviews, historical research and hermeneutics of ideas. I first sketch the history of sustainable development and describe the evolution of sustainability research and science. I then question the interplay between sustainable development research and the imperative of actually safeguarding no less than human survival. After exploring of existing connections based on two different frameworks, I turn to the history and recent development of existential risks research and suggest a more coupled agenda for upcoming research. Based on scholarship, I finally suggest two basic options for safeguarding the future and discuss them in terms of strategic prospects or pathways.