Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Planetary Boundaries
- Definition: a boundary is a human
determined value of the control variable set
at a "safe" distance from a dangerous level. It
aims to develop a safe operating space for
human development based off the resilience
of the Earth System
- INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION:
Humans began
investing in the
nature
environment rather
than exploiting it
- ANTROPOCENE: new
epoch where humans
constitute the dominant
driver of change to the
Earth's System
- Catastrophic Nature of Transgressing Boundaries
- Risk of triggering non-linear and
abrupt environmental change
- EXAMPLE: Biodiversity
Loss can increase
aquatic ecosystem
vulnerability to climate
and ocean acidity
changes
- Plankton and Coral Reefs
acting as Carbon sinks
- EXAMPLE: AMAZON TO TIBET.
Deforestation of vegetation in the
Amazon may disrupt the precipitation
feedback loop and change the surface
energy balance. This would weaken the
deep convection and by driving the ITCZ
northwards would influence the Jet
Stream and precipitation in Tibet.
- TIBET TO CHINA'S FLOODS.The
climate chaneg in Tibet
directly affects Asia's Water
Resources, Glacier melt would
increase short term flooding
and place over 250 million
poplin China at risk (Cruz et al,
2007)
- All PB are interdependent: a shift in one
boundary may cause another to be transgressed
- Feedbacks can increaser trigger the likelihood
of crossing thresholds in other boundaries
- THRESHOLDS: intrinsic features of systems defined by a
position along one or more control variables
- EXAMPLE:
Temperature and
Ice-Albedo feedback
in the case of Sea Ice
- 3 branches of Scientific Enquiry
- ONE: Scale of human action in relation to
the capacity of the Earth to sustain it
- TWO: Understanding the essential Earth
System process (Human Action)
- THREE: Framework of Resilience linked to
complex dynamics and the self regulation
of systems
- Acccounting for the PRECAUTIONARY
PRINCIPLE
- Accounting for LIMITS TO
GROWTH Approach
- CLIMATE CHANGE
- CHANGES IN BIOSPHERE INTEGRITY (BIODIVERISTY LOSS)
- STRATOSPHERIC OZONE DEPLETION
- OCEAN ACIDIFCATION
- BIOGEOCHEMICAL FLOWS (N2 & P)
- LAND SYSTEM CHANGE
- FRESHWATER
USE
- NOVEL ENTITIES
- ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOL OFF LOADING