This economic development has come at a cost, both socially and ecologically. While we have achieved remarkable feats, we have also pushed the Earth to its limits and disrupted the systems that sustain us. We find ourselves in a unique position where the greatest threat to our survival is our actions.

The changes of the 21st century can cause irreversible environmental changes. These changes can negatively impact our civilization. Ecosystem degradation and increasing disasters are already impacting lives and the economy. Water management in the 20th century involved creating grey infrastructures to control water. However, these approaches had adverse ecological and management outcomes, such as dam silting and accelerated runoffs.

According to Albert Einstein, it is crucial to recognize that we cannot solve problems using the same level of thinking that led to their creation. As a result, there is a growing understanding that instead of solely relying on traditional engineering solutions, it is necessary to collaborate with ecosystems to enhance liveability, improve resilience, and minimize vulnerabilities.