The planetary boundaries concept refers to the idea that humans are substantially altering natural systems, and that beyond a certain level of change this may become irreversible and self sustaining. The potential result is a planet with environmental conditions that differ substantially from those in which human civilisation developed and to which many species and ecosystems are adapted. Planetary boundaries have so far been proposed for climate change, biodiversity loss, biogeochemical cycles, ocean acidification, land use, freshwater, and ozone depletion.
Table recommended resources
The livestock sector and planetary boundaries
In this paper, FCRN member Nicholas Bowles of the University of Melbourne reviews existing data on the environmental impacts of the livestock…
How to achieve the SDGs within planetary boundaries
The report “Transformation is feasible - How to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals within Planetary Boundaries”, produced by the…
Bankrupting Nature: Denying Our Planetary Boundaries
A new book by Anders Wijkman and Johan Rockström argues that we are in deep denial about the magnitude of the global environmental…
Global and local land use and the planetary boundaries
The paper presents land use scenarios that provide enough food for 9 billion people, biodiversity protection and terrestrial carbon storage…
Agriculture production as a major driver of the Earth system exceeding planetary boundaries
The planetary boundaries concept provides a theoretical upper limit on human activity which the planet is able to sustain without…
Related resources
- Defining the planetary boundary for novel entities
Research Library - A Research Agenda for Food Systems
Research Library
