2015/01/15 by Will Steffen, Katherine Richardson, Johan Rockström +15 · 24 citations
Energy · Environmental Science · #Global Energy and Sustainability Research #Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy #Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1259855
openalex publication_date 2015/01/15 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
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 boundary 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.