The planetary commons: A new paradigm for safeguarding Earth-regulating systems in the Anthropocene.

The Anthropocene signifies the start of a no-analogue trajectory of the Earth system that is fundamentally different from the Holocene. This new trajectory is characterized by rising risks of triggering irreversible and unmanageable shifts in Earth system functioning. We urgently need a new global approach to safeguard critical Earth system regulating functions more effectively and comprehensively. The global commons framework is the closest example of an existing approach with the aim of governing biophysical systems on Earth upon which the world collectively depends. Derived during stable Holocene conditions, the global commons framework must now evolve in the light of new Anthropocene dynamics. This requires a fundamental shift from a focus only on governing shared resources beyond national jurisdiction, to one that secures critical functions of the Earth system irrespective of national boundaries. We propose a new framework-the planetary commons-which differs from the global commons framework by including not only globally shared geographic regions but also critical biophysical systems that regulate the resilience and state, and therefore livability, on Earth. The new planetary commons should articulate and create comprehensive stewardship obligations through Earth system governance aimed at restoring and strengthening planetary resilience and justice.

Phase synchronization between culture and climate forcing.

Over the history of humankind, cultural innovations have helped improve survival and adaptation to environmental stress. This has led to an overall increase in human population size, which in turn further contributed to cumulative cultural learning. During the Anthropocene, or arguably even earlier, this positive sociodemographic feedback has caused a strong decline in important resources that, coupled with projected future transgression of planetary boundaries, may potentially reverse the long-term trend in population growth. Here, we present a simple consumer/resource model that captures the coupled dynamics of stochastic cultural learning and transmission, population growth and resource depletion in a changing environment. The idealized stochastic mathematical model simulates boom/bust cycles between low-population subsistence, high-density resource exploitation and subsequent population decline. For slow resource recovery time scales and in the absence of climate forcing, the model predicts a long-term global population collapse. Including a simplified periodic climate forcing, we find that cultural innovation and population growth can couple with climatic forcing via nonlinear phase synchronization. We discuss the relevance of this finding in the context of cultural innovation, the anthropological record and long-term future resilience of our own predatory species.

Even cooler insights: On the power of forests to (water the Earth and) cool the planet.

Scientific innovation is overturning conventional paradigms of forest, water, and energy cycle interactions. This has implications for our understanding of the principal causal pathways by which tree, forest, and vegetation cover (TFVC) influence local and global warming/cooling. Many identify surface albedo and carbon sequestration as the principal causal pathways by which TFVC affects global warming/cooling. Moving toward the outer latitudes, in particular, where snow cover is more important, surface albedo effects are perceived to overpower carbon sequestration. By raising surface albedo, deforestation is thus predicted to lead to surface cooling, while increasing forest cover is assumed to result in warming. Observational data, however, generally support the opposite conclusion, suggesting surface albedo is poorly understood. Most accept that surface temperatures are influenced by the interplay of surface albedo, incoming shortwave (SW) radiation, and the partitioning of the remaining, post-albedo, SW radiation into latent and sensible heat. However, the extent to which the avoidance of sensible heat formation is first and foremost mediated by the presence (absence) of water and TFVC is not well understood. TFVC both mediates the availability of water on the land surface and drives the potential for latent heat production (evapotranspiration, ET). While latent heat is more directly linked to local than global cooling/warming, it is driven by photosynthesis and carbon sequestration and powers additional cloud formation and top-of-cloud reflectivity, both of which drive global cooling. TFVC loss reduces water storage, precipitation recycling, and downwind rainfall potential, thus driving the reduction of both ET (latent heat) and cloud formation. By reducing latent heat, cloud formation, and precipitation, deforestation thus powers warming (sensible heat formation), which further diminishes TFVC growth (carbon sequestration). Large-scale tree and forest restoration could, therefore, contribute significantly to both global and surface temperature cooling through the principal causal pathways of carbon sequestration and cloud formation.

Planetary boundaries transgressions: A review on the implications to public health.

This literature review systematically examines the impacts of violating planetary boundaries from 2009 to 2023, emphasizing the implications for human health. Planetary boundaries define safe operational limits for Earth's systems, and their transgression poses significant threats to environmental stability and public health. This paper reviews extensive research on the health effects of breaches in these boundaries, including climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use, and aerosol loading. The review integrates findings from numerous studies, providing a critical overview of health impacts across various global regions. The analysis underscores the intricate links between planetary boundaries breaching impacts, highlighting urgent policy and governance challenges. The study's outcomes aim to inform policymakers, businesses, and communities, promoting sustainable development and resilience in the face of escalating global challenges.

Putting radioactive materials on the sustainability agenda: a report from a workshop on the sustainability of human-made radioactive materials held at the safeND Research Symposium 2023.

This report summarizes the findings of a workshop held at the safeND Research Symposium and hosted by the German Federal Office for the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (BASE) in Berlin in September 2023. The workshop aimed to channel perspectives from various fields of expertise to discuss key sustainability concepts in terms of radioactive waste management. Therefore, the report highlights that current sustainability concepts, such as the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as well as the concept of Planetary Boundaries, neglect challenges arising from the production and storage of human-made radioactive materials. The workshop consisted of three group tasks. The first attempted at identifying the interrelations between "sustainability" and radioactive waste management. The second was to map the global nature of the challenges. The third took first steps to determine a human-made radioactive material as a potential planetary sub-boundary for "novel entities". All three groups identified valuable knowledge gaps that should be addressed by future research and concluded that radioactive waste management is underrepresented in these sustainability concepts.

Establishing the planetary boundaries framework in the sustainability reporting of ICT companies - A proposal for proxy indicators.

The Planetary Boundaries framework provides a holistic view of Earth's resilience by defining boundaries of a safe operating space for humanity and measurable control variables that describe the state of the Earth-system processes. Humanity is altering these processes, which has resulted in the transgression of several Planetary Boundaries. Researchers have downscaled the Planetary Boundaries framework onto smaller settings, yet its implementation on a company scale is rare and even more so when considering corporate sustainability reporting. In an attempt to assist ICT companies in identifying their negative impact on the Earth-system processes, this paper explores how the Planetary Boundaries framework can be integrated to complement current Information and Communication Technology (ICT) corporate sustainability indicators. The purpose is to define reportable company-scale proxy indicators (hereinafter 'proxies') based on the Planetary Boundary control variables, to assist companies in monitoring how impacts related to the Earth-system processes change over time. Based on data collected through an extensive literature review and interviews, sixteen reportable proxies are defined. The applicability of these proxies is also tested using one ICT company as a test case. The test case concludes that the current reporting practices of the studied ICT company are sufficient for two of the proxies but require minor or major refinements for the remaining ones. The deliverables of this study can assist in establishing corporate policies and aid companies to measure and follow up on the environmental impacts associated with the Planetary Boundaries framework over time. Moreover, this study does not address the downscaling of the safe operating space associated with the different boundaries, since defining such spaces for a specific company is not possible at this point. Therefore, applying the suggested proxies would not determine whether a company is operating within a fair and reasonable share of the safe operating space but rather indicate how its impacts develop over time.

Sustainability of dermatological offices and clinics: challenges and potential solutions.

Ongoing high consumption of resources results in exceeding the planetary boundaries. Modern healthcare systems contribute to this problem. To address this issue, this article provides an overview of various aspects of sustainable actions in medical offices and clinics that can also be applied to dermatology. Specific fields of action include energy consumption, structural measures, traffic and mobility, organization including digitalization as well as personnel and evaluation. Moreover, we discuss specific topics such as hygiene and cleansing, dermatosurgery and prescription practices. External treatments and cosmetics are discussed separately as dermatological peculiarities. Finally, we provide information on established initiatives for more sustainable health care in Germany. We aim to encourage critical reappraisal of currently established practices and to stimulate the implementation of sustainable measures.

Resource efficiency analysis through planetary boundary-based life cycle assessment: a case study of sugarcane in Pakistan.

Purpose: Extensive agriculture activities for crop production have led to increasing environmental impacts that threaten to exceed environmentally safe limits. The purpose of this study is to analyze resource efficiency of the agri-food industry, considering the case of sugarcane production in Pakistan. Methods: A holistic approach has been applied by determining the relevant impact categories and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and linking them with Planetary Boundary-based Life Cycle Assessment (PB-LCA). Both the spatially generic and spatially resolved approaches were considered with application of different sharing principles. Results and discussion: Application of different sharing principles showed high variations in the assigned share of the safe operating space values. When taking a spatially generic approach, most of the impacts (except marine eutrophication and water consumption) were within the safe operating space for equal per capita, economic, caloric, and grandfathering sharing principles. However, all the impacts exceeded their limits considering the agri-land sharing and land use impact surpassed its budget considering the grandfathering sharing. In the spatially resolved approach, most of the impact values surpassed the available budgets. Furthermore, the failure to attain the pertinent SDG targets from a PB-LCA perspective is indicated by the exceeding of safe operating space for relevant impact categories. Conclusions: Overall, the production of sugarcane was found to be unsustainable, requiring urgent action to promote resource improvement and contain the impacts within safe limits. The developed framework enabled the evaluation of the SDGs using PB-LCA at the product level. The target-driven impact reduction values would help in achieving the targets and prioritizing the efforts by making informed decisions for reducing impacts within safe limits. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11367-023-02185-7.

[The implications of the concepts One Health and Planetary Health for the environmental medicine of the 21st century]. / Die Bedeutung der Konzepte One Health und Planetary Health für die Umweltmedizin im 21. Jahrhundert.

In the 21st century, an accumulation of complex crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, wars, and pandemics is leading to economic, social, and health problems for people of current and future generations. These problems are essentially due to the disregard of natural regenerative capacities of ecosystems. Health approaches such as One Health and Planetary Health have gained popularity since the early 2000s and are increasingly used in politics, science, and the health professions. Environmental medicine is also influenced by the growing number of crises and environmental problems and the increasing interest in the concepts of One Health and Planetary Health.In this discussion paper, the development of the two concepts is first presented. Then, their significance for environmental medicine will be discussed. Health professionals working on environmental medicine issues must now consider both local and global causes and health effects when assessing environmental impacts, which can complicate decisions and lead to conflicting objectives.

Linking economic growth pathways and environmental sustainability by understanding development as alternate social-ecological regimes.

Scientists understand how global ecological degradation is occurring but not why it seems to be so difficult to reverse. We used national-level data and a mathematical model to provide an empirical test of the hypothesis that national economies display two distinct economic regimes that are maintained by self-reinforcing feedbacks between natural resources and society. Our results not only support previous findings that two distinct groups exist, but also show that countries move toward one of these two different equilibrium points because of their different patterns of natural resource use and responses to population growth. At the less economically developed equilibrium point maintained by "green-loop" feedbacks, human populations depend more directly on ecosystems for income. At the more economically developed equilibrium point maintained by "red-loop" feedbacks, nonecosystem services (e.g., technology, manufacturing, services) generate the majority of national gross domestic product (GDP), but increasing consumption of natural resources means that environmental impacts are higher and are often exported (via cross-scale feedbacks) to other countries. Feedbacks between income and population growth are pushing countries farther from sustainability. Our analysis shows that economic growth alone cannot lead to environmental sustainability and that current trajectories of resource use cannot be sustained without breaking feedback loops in national and international economies.

Adjusting eco-efficiency to greenhouse gas emissions targets at farm level - The case of Swedish dairy farms.

The purpose of this paper is to adjust the measure of eco-efficiency to account for specific sustainability targets at farm level. We assess eco-efficiency and adjust the scores according to a target of absolute levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and data from Swedish dairy farms as an illustrative example. In particular, the Swedish target of net-zero emissions in 2045 and vision of a fossil free economy are used to specify the GHG emission target used for assessing the adjusted eco-efficiency scores. We test for possible factors associated with the adjusted and unadjusted eco-efficiency using OLS-regression analysis. The study is based on data from the farm accounting data network (FADN) in year 2016 and considers the environmental pressures nutrients and contribution to global warming. Adjusted as well as unadjusted eco-efficiency scores suggest that Swedish dairy farms are highly inefficient, and that economic value added could increase by 64% (adj) or 67% (unadj) for conventional farms and by 42% (adj) or 41% (unadj) for organic farms at the same level of environmental pressure. Findings further suggest that adjusting the scores towards absolute levels of GHG emissions increases industry average efficiency. Comparing the unadjusted and adjusted efficiency scores using Spearman rank correlation indicates similar efficiency rankings between the unadjusted and adjusted scores. However, findings also indicate that adjusted and unadjusted eco-efficiency scores are associated with different influencing factors, which lends empirical support to the idea that the two types of efficiency scores are conceptually different. Policy recommendations can be made based on insights from the second stage analysis of possible influencing factors. In particular, adjusted eco-efficiency is associated with higher intensity of farming defined as output per livestock unit. Further, adjusted eco-efficiency is associated with a higher number of livestock units in conventional farms and with lower levels of labour per livestock unit in organic farms.

Analysing progress of sustainable development goal 6 in India: Past, present, and future.

The attainment of sustainable development in water and sanitation i.e. Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) requires a comprehensive monitoring and knowledge base of social and economic water needs at national scale in such a way that should not cause negative environmental manifestations from regional to global scale. India holds a key position among developing economies with a complex interconnected web of fast-growing population, coupled with biophysical stress, social deprivation and economic inequality related to utilization, availability and access to water resources and sanitation facilities. This study addresses some of these challenges related to monitoring and implementation of the targets of the UN SDG 6 in India. Acknowledging the contribution of society and economy in sustainability paradigm, here we have chosen 28 indicators (clustered into 11 dimensions) under two major groups, concerning biophysical and social development aspects of water and sanitation. We have shown declining level of per capita biophysical water resource and slow to rapidly developing societal indicators related to SDG 6 in India. From past trends, we have calculated probable scenario of biophysical consumption of India up to 2050. We have also analysed the interrelationship of water and sanitation (SDG 6) with health (SDG 3) and end to poverty (SDG 1) in India. These show a positive impact of increasing per capita GDP on improving sanitation related indicators, which in turn positively influence to reduce water and sanitation related diseases, especially in children and aged population. This cumulative assessment framework contributes a tool to prioritize water resource appropriation and assessment of sanitation, management response and policy implementations to national level inclusive sustainability of water and sanitation sector, keeping in mind the societal and economic development scenario in India.

Linking planetary boundaries and ecosystem accounting, with an illustration for the Colombian Orinoco river basin.

Economic development has increased pressures on natural resources during the last decades. The concept of planetary boundaries has been developed to propose limits on human activities based on earth processes and ecological thresholds. However, this concept was not developed to downscale planetary boundaries to sub-global level. The absence of boundaries at sub-global levels constrains the use of the concept in environmental governance and natural resource management, because decisions are typically taken at these levels. Decisions at the national level are currently supported, among others, by statistical frameworks in particular the System of National Accounts. However, statistical frameworks were not developed to compile environmental information, hindering environmental decision making. Our study examines if and how ecosystem accounting can be used in combination with the concept of planetary boundaries in guiding human activities at the level of a river basin. We assess the applicability of both frameworks for natural resource management in the Orinoco river basin, based on adaptive management components. Our analysis indicates that differences in the purpose of analysis, information provided, and methods constrain the potential integration of both frameworks. Nevertheless, the way both frameworks conceptualize the social system and the interactions between social and ecological systems can facilitate translating planetary boundaries into indicators considered in ecosystem accounting. The information recorded in national ecosystem accounts can support establishing ecological thresholds and, more fundamentally, to relate ecological thresholds to human impacts on ecosystem condition. Capitalizing on these synergies requires further exchange of experiences between the communities working on ecosystem accounting and planetary boundaries.

Tracking sustainable development with a national barometer for South Africa using a downscaled "safe and just space" framework.

Nations in the 21st century face a complex mix of environmental and social challenges, as highlighted by the on-going Sustainable Development Goals process. The "planetary boundaries" concept [Rockström J, et al. (2009) Nature 461(7263):472-475], and its extension through the addition of social well-being indicators to create a framework for "safe and just" inclusive sustainable development [Raworth K (2012) Nature Climate Change 2(4):225-226], have received considerable attention in science and policy circles. As the chief aim of this framework is to influence public policy, and this happens largely at the national level, we assess whether it can be used at the national scale, using South Africa as a test case. We developed a decision-based methodology for downscaling the framework and created a national "barometer" for South Africa, combining 20 indicators and boundaries for environmental stress and social deprivation. We find that it is possible to maintain the original design and concept of the framework while making it meaningful in the national context, raising new questions and identifying priority areas for action. Our results show that South Africa has exceeded its environmental boundaries for biodiversity loss, marine harvesting, freshwater use, and climate change, and social deprivation is most severe in the areas of safety, income, and employment. Trends since 1994 show improvement in nearly all social indicators, but progression toward or over boundaries for most environmental indicators. The barometer shows that achieving inclusive sustainable development in South Africa requires national and global action on multiple fronts, and careful consideration of the interplay between different environmental domains and development strategies.

Integration of ecological-biological thresholds in conservation decision making.

In the Anthropocene, coupled human and natural systems dominate and only a few natural systems remain relatively unaffected by human influence. On the one hand, conservation criteria based on areas of minimal human impact are not relevant to much of the biosphere. On the other hand, conservation criteria based on economic factors are problematic with respect to their ability to arrive at operational indicators of well-being that can be applied in practice over multiple generations. Coupled human and natural systems are subject to economic development which, under current management structures, tends to affect natural systems and cross planetary boundaries. Hence, designing and applying conservation criteria applicable in real-world systems where human and natural systems need to interact and sustainably coexist is essential. By recognizing the criticality of satisfying basic needs as well as the great uncertainty over the needs and preferences of future generations, we sought to incorporate conservation criteria based on minimal human impact into economic evaluation. These criteria require the conservation of environmental conditions such that the opportunity for intergenerational welfare optimization is maintained. Toward this end, we propose the integration of ecological-biological thresholds into decision making and use as an example the planetary-boundaries approach. Both conservation scientists and economists must be involved in defining operational ecological-biological thresholds that can be incorporated into economic thinking and reflect the objectives of conservation, sustainability, and intergenerational welfare optimization.

Human health impacts of ecosystem alteration.

Human activity is rapidly transforming most of Earth's natural systems. How this transformation is impacting human health, whose health is at greatest risk, and the magnitude of the associated disease burden are relatively new subjects within the field of environmental health. We discuss what is known about the human health implications of changes in the structure and function of natural systems and propose that these changes are affecting human health in a variety of important ways. We identify several gaps and limitations in the research that has been done to date and propose a more systematic and comprehensive approach to applied research in this field. Such efforts could lead to a more robust understanding of the human health impacts of accelerating environmental change and inform decision making in the land-use planning, environmental conservation, and public health policy realms.

Global networks and global change-induced tipping points.

The existence of "tipping points" in human-environmental systems at multiple scales-such as abrupt negative changes in coral reef ecosystems, "runaway" climate change, and interacting nonlinear "planetary boundaries"-is often viewed as a substantial challenge for governance due to their inherent uncertainty, potential for rapid and large system change, and possible cascading effects on human well-being. Despite an increased scholarly and policy interest in the dynamics of these perceived "tipping points," institutional and governance scholars have yet to make progress on how to analyze in which ways state and non-state actors attempt to anticipate, respond, and prevent the transgression of "tipping points" at large scales. In this article, we use three cases of global network responses to what we denote as global change-induced "tipping points"-ocean acidification, fisheries collapse, and infectious disease outbreaks. Based on the commonalities in several research streams, we develop four working propositions: information processing and early warning, multilevel and multinetwork responses, diversity in response capacity, and the balance between efficiency and legitimacy. We conclude by proposing a simple framework for the analysis of the interplay between perceived global change-induced "tipping points," global networks, and international institutions.

Redistribution of nitrogen to feed the people on a safer planet.

Lack of nitrogen limits food production in poor countries while excessive nitrogen use in industrial countries has led to transgression of the planetary boundary. However, the potential of spatial redistribution of nitrogen input for food security when returning to the safe boundary has not been quantified in a robust manner. Using an emulator of a global gridded crop model ensemble, we found that redistribution of current nitrogen input to major cereals among countries can double production in the most food-insecure countries, while increasing global production of these crops by 12% with no notable regional loss or reducing the nitrogen input to the current production by one-third. Redistribution of the input within the boundary increased production by 6-8% compared to the current relative distribution, increasing production in the food-insecure countries by two-thirds. Our findings provide georeferenced guidelines for redistributing nitrogen use to enhance food security while safeguarding the planet.

Environmental problem shifting from climate change mitigation: A mapping review.

Climate change mitigation will trigger major changes in human activity, energy systems, and material use, potentially shifting pressure from climate change to other environmental problems. We provide a comprehensive overview of such "environmental problem shifting" (EPS). While there is considerable research on this issue, studies are scattered across research fields and use a wide range of terms with blurred conceptual boundaries, such as trade-off, side effect, and spillover. We identify 506 relevant studies on EPS of which 311 are empirical, 47 are conceptual-theoretical, and 148 are synthetic studies or reviews of a particular mitigation option. A systematic mapping of the empirical studies reveals 128 distinct shifts from 22 categories of mitigation options to 10 environmental impacts. A comparison with the recent IPCC report indicates that EPS literature does not cover all mitigation options. Moreover, some studies systematically overestimate EPS by not accounting for the environmental benefits of reduced climate change. We propose to conceptually clarify the different ways of estimating EPS by distinguishing between gross, net, and relative shifting. Finally, the ubiquity of EPS calls for policy design which ensures climate change mitigation that minimizes unsustainability across multiple environmental dimensions. To achieve this, policymakers can regulate mitigation options-for example, in their choice of technology or location-and implement complementary environmental policies.