82 research outputs found
Planetary boundaries: Exploring the safe operating space for humanity
No full textNew approaches are needed to help humanity deal with climate change and other global environmental threats that lie ahead in the 21st century. A group of 28 internationally renowned scientists propose that global biophysical boundaries, identified on the basis of the scientific understanding of the Earth System, can define a ‘safe planetary operating space´ that will allow humanity to continue to develop and thrive for generations to come.
This new approach to sustainable development is conveyed in a special feature in Nature (open access) where the scientists have made a first attempt to identify and quantify a set of nine planetary boundaries.
- The human pressure on the Earth System has reached a scale where abrupt global environmental change can no longer be excluded. To continue to live and operate safely, humanity has to stay away from critical ‘hard-wired´ thresholds in Earth´s environment, and respect the nature of planet\u27s climatic, geophysical, atmospheric and ecological processes, says lead author Johan Rockström, Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
He warns that transgressing planetary boundaries may be devastating for humanity, but if we respect them we have a bright future for centuries ahead.
Nine boundaries identified
The group of scientists including Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Will Steffen, Katherine Richardson, Jonathan Foley and Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen, have attempted to quantify the safe biophysical boundaries outside which, they believe, the Earth System cannot function in a stable state, the state in which human civilizations have thrived.
The scientists first identified the Earth System processes and potential biophysical thresholds, which, if crossed, could generate unacceptable environmental change for humanity. They then proposed the boundaries that should be respected in order to reduce the risk of crossing these thresholds.
Nine boundaries were identified including climate change, stratospheric ozone, land use change, freshwater use, biological diversity, ocean acidification, nitrogen and phosphorus inputs to the biosphere and oceans, aerosol loading and chemical pollution.
The study suggests that three of these boundaries (climate change, biological diversity and nitrogen input to the biosphere) may already have been transgressed. In addition, it emphasizes that the boundaries are strongly connected — crossing one boundary may seriously threaten the ability to stay within safe levels of the others.
This article also includes video explanations of the findings - scroll down the page to see these on the Stockholm Resilience Centre page
Antropoceno XXVIII - As novas fronteiras
No full textNovel entities Hello, my name is Sarah Cornell and I'm an environmental researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. The first thing I need to do right now is explain what I mean by the term novel entities. Back in 2009, Johan Rockstrom and colleagues argued that there should be a planetary boundary for chemical pollution. But they weren't able to define a quantitative value for that boundary. In recent years this challenge has been a topic of a lot of conversation between Earth system scie..
Antropoceno XXVIII - As novas fronteiras
No full textNovel entities Hello, my name is Sarah Cornell and I'm an environmental researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. The first thing I need to do right now is explain what I mean by the term novel entities. Back in 2009, Johan Rockstrom and colleagues argued that there should be a planetary boundary for chemical pollution. But they weren't able to define a quantitative value for that boundary. In recent years this challenge has been a topic of a lot of conversation between Earth system scie..
An assessment of the effect of human faeces and urine on maize production and water productivity
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How Defining Planetary Boundaries Can Transform Our Approach to Growth
No full textOur planet’s ability to provide an accommodating environment for humanity is being challenged
by our own activities. The environment—our life-support system—is changing rapidly from the
stable Holocene state of the last 12,000 years, during which we developed agriculture, villages,
cities, and contemporary civilizations, to an unknown future state of significantly different
conditions. One way to address this challenge is to determine “safe boundaries” based on
fundamental characteristics of our planet and to operate within them. By “boundary,” we mean a
specific point related to a global-scale environmental process beyond which humanity should not
go. Identifying our planet’s intrinsic, nonnegotiable limits is not easy, but here we specify nine
areas that are most in need of well-defined planetary boundaries, and we explain the steps
needed to begin defining and living within them
Low-cost drip irrigation--A suitable technology for southern Africa?: An example with tomatoes using saline irrigation water
No full textDefining a Sustainable Development Target Space for 2030 and 2050
No full textWith the establishment of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), countries worldwide agreed to a prosperous, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable future for all. This ambition, however, exposes a critical gap in science-based insights, namely on how to achieve the 17 SDGs simultaneously. Quantitative goal-seeking scenario studies could help explore the needed systems' transformations. This requires a clear definition of the "target space." The 169 targets and 232 indicators used for monitoring SDG implementation cannot be used for this; they are too many, too broad, unstructured, and sometimes not formulated quantitatively. Here, we propose a streamlined set of science-based indicators and associated target values that are quantifiable and actionable to make scenario analysis meaningful, relevant, and simple enough to be transparent and communicable. The 36 targets are based on the SDGs, existing multilateral agreements, literature, and expert assessment. They include 2050 as a longer-term reference point. This target space can guide researchers in developing new sustainable development pathways
Towards a sustainable water future: Shaping the next decade of global water research
No full textOver a decade of global water research has provided clear evidence on the global dimension of the water challenge and the role of humans as a chief force shaping the global water cycle. Mounting evidence suggests no reversals in major trends and an expectation of intensified and pandemic water problems. Research in the past has emphasized the identification of problems more than the identification of solutions. A clear shift in emphasis towards solutions-oriented approaches is required. The next decade of research should be directed towards motivating a transition from knowledge-to-concrete action, and to find solutions through the co-production of knowledge involving scientists and stakeholders. This paper summarizes a blueprint for a Sustainable Water Future initiative, arguing for the necessity of a strong water programme in global change research. We provide specific suggestions on forming a strategic partnership of scientists, public stakeholders, decision-makers and the private sector to implement a reality-based, multi-perspective, and multi-scale knowledge-to-action water agenda.No Full Tex
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