Why do we continue to undermine Earth's life-support system, on which our survival depends, despite a wealth of information documenting its deterioration? Your Editorial on the need for a more productive relationship between natural and social scientists is timely (Nature 462, 825–826; 2009).

As natural scientists, we must not see the social sciences and humanities as an add-on to our own expertise, or as subservient to our supposedly more refined or objective ways of knowing. Integrating insights from different perspectives will help to break down the social and political barriers that obstruct ways of finding a sustainable future (J. Fischer et al. Trends Ecol. Evol. 22, 621–624; 2007). Disciplines such as economics, institutional theory, history, philosophy and sociology can contribute to framing the right questions: smart science alone is unlikely to result in wiser decisions or better outcomes.

Integration between disciplines to tackle sustainability issues is already under way. Most recently, an initiative called the Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior (P. R. Ehrlich Bull. Ecol. Soc. Am. 90, 325–326; 2009) has been launched to give a voice to important insights outside the realm of the natural sciences.