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Since recession shocked the global economy in 2008, the meaning of ‘sustainability’ has taken on a new depth. Besides the long-running fear of environmental destruction – in particular in the ‘susceptible drylands’1 – and rising expectations of a ‘tipping point’ in climate change, a new question arises in the short run. Will ‘business as usual’ resume, with appropriate lessons learnt,2 or will the system fracture? Can consumption continue to exceed sensible restraint, or can a new order emerge in the relations between humankind and the global ecosystem?3 There are strong linkages between these questions. An additional question urgently needs answering: what will become of the Millennium Development Goals for the relief of poverty, injustice and inequity in the distribution of nature’s benefits?