Research Article

Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet

  1. Will Steffen1,2,*,
  2. Katherine Richardson3,
  3. Johan Rockström1,
  4. Sarah E. Cornell1,
  5. Ingo Fetzer1,
  6. Elena M. Bennett4,
  7. R. Biggs1,5,
  8. Stephen R. Carpenter6,
  9. Wim de Vries7,8,
  10. Cynthia A. de Wit9,
  11. Carl Folke1,10,
  12. Dieter Gerten11,
  13. Jens Heinke11,12,13,
  14. Georgina M. Mace14,
  15. Linn M. Persson15,
  16. Veerabhadran Ramanathan16,17,
  17. B. Reyers1,18,
  18. Sverker Sörlin19
  1. 1Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
  2. 2Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.
  3. 3Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Universitetsparken 15, Building 3, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
  4. 4Department of Natural Resource Sciences and McGill School of Environment, McGill University, 21, 111 Lakeshore Rd., Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
  5. 5Centre for Studies in Complexity, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa.
  6. 6Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, 680 North Park Street, Madison WI 53706 USA.
  7. 7Alterra Wageningen University and Research Centre, PO Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
  8. 8Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
  9. 9Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
  10. 10Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden.
  11. 11Research Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
  12. 12International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi 00100 Kenya.
  13. 13CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), St Lucia QLD 4067, Australia.
  14. 14Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research (CBER), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
  15. 15Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan 87D, SE-10451 Stockholm, Sweden.
  16. 16Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, 8622 Kennel Way, La Jolla CA 92037 USA.
  17. 17UNESCO Professor, TERI University, 10 Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, Delhi 110070, India.
  18. 18Natural Resources and the Environment, CSIR, PB Box 320, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa.
  19. 19Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden.
  1. ↵*Corresponding author. E-mail: will.steffen{at}anu.edu.au
Science  15 Jan 2015:

DOI: 10.1126/science.1259855

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Abstract

The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity based on the intrinsic biophysical processes that regulate the stability of the Earth System. Here, we revise and update the planetary boundaries framework, with a focus on the underpinning biophysical science, based on targeted input from expert research communities and on more general scientific advances over the past 5 years. Several of the boundaries now have a two-tier approach, reflecting the importance of cross-scale interactions and the regional-level heterogeneity of the processes that underpin the boundaries. Two core boundaries—climate change and biosphere integrity—have been identified, each of which has the potential on its own to drive the Earth System into a new state should they be substantially and persistently transgressed.

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  • Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet

    By Will Steffen, Katherine Richardson, Johan Rockström, Sarah E. Cornell, Ingo Fetzer, Elena M. Bennett, R. Biggs, Stephen R. Carpenter, Wim de Vries, Cynthia A. de Wit, Carl Folke, Dieter Gerten, Jens Heinke, Georgina M. Mace, Linn M. Persson, Veerabhadran Ramanathan, B. Reyers, Sverker Sörlin

    Published Online

    DOI: 10.1126/science.1259855

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