Social progress and environmental care – lessons learnt from the IPSP

This chapter provides an overview and a reflection on how the work of the IPSP (International Panel on Social Progress) relates to the topics of our book, covering various aspects of environmental care, societal development and education. First, a general description and explanation of the work and products of the IPSP are provided, outlining the main lines of understanding and conceptual approaches to social progress. Second, a more specific analysis of the approach towards progress and environmental care, interdisciplinarity, Global North–South gaps and relations to other (global) political initiatives (e.g. the International Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], or the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]) is explained. Third, the main topics of the workshops about environmental care and progress are reflected from the perspective of the IPSP, exploring what the IPSP material says and what insights might be gleaned from it.