Planetary boundaries for sustainable living
Scientists have hesitantly quantified the limits of our planet’s ability to sustain life.
In a September issue of the journal Nature, a group of environmental scientists, headed by Johan Rockström of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, have outlined concrete boundaries for seven environmental parameters – climate change, ozone depletion, ocean acidification, biodiversity, freshwater use, the global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and change in land use – within which we can operate sustainably.
Each parameter affects the planet’s ability to self-regulate – that is, its ability to maintain stable conditions for life – and are interdependent on one another. The climate change parameter, for example, is defined in part by safe levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, above which we threaten to trigger a loss in biodiversity, or an increase in land degradation.
Although the science is at this stage preliminary, in the future it could feasibly provide a solid base on which to ground climate change policy.
A commentary on each parameter by expert scientists can be found here.
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