Abstract
Current social policy is inadequate to address environmental problems that pose serious long-term risks. I have coined the term “500–year planning” to encompass the goals, practice, and methodology of solving such problems. This article discusses ends and means of 500-year planning, presents characteristics and examples of 500-year problems, and analyzes why 500-year problems receive inadequate attention. Planners should advocate 500-year planning; but to be successful, they would need to redefine the responsibilities of their profession. The concluding section suggests areas of research and other activities that could be pursued to support 500-year planning.

This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit: