Planetary Boundaries and Resilience

Student Worksheet

Introduction

The methods of analysis and the related debates about the limits to human growth and
consumption have become more focused on providing information to support global policy
decisions in the last decade or so.

One of the most often cited approach was developed in Sweden by NGOs like The Natural
Step and more recently by scholars at the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

A paper in the prestigious British science journal, Nature in 2009 summarizes this
approach. It is closely related to analysis presented in The Limits to Growth but advances
the discussion by combining resource and ecosystem limits in the selection and evaluation
of the 9 critical planetary boundaries. The Planetary Boundaries approach points to 3 key
areas where rapid policy initiatives are needed.

Assignment

Watch the TED Talk video and use the article linked below for additional detail and
explanation:

Steffen, W. Rockstrm, J. Costanza, R. 2011. How Defining Planetary Boundaries Can

Transform Our Approach to Growth . Solutions. Vol 2, No. 3. pp. - -
http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/935

A TED Talk video presentation of provides a similar presentation of this information:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgqtrlixYR4#t=37

Questions:

1. What is the Halocene? Why do the authors and TED presenter refer to that period of
geological history as the time when our ecosystem capital accumulated?
Holocene is the period of the past 12,000 years or so, where global average temperatures
have remained stable while agriculture developed and various civilizations rose. They
refer to this period as the time where our ecosystem capital accumulated, because this
was where we developed agriculture, cities, and contemporary civilizations, with an
unknown future.

Created by The North Carolina School of Science and Math.

Copyright 2012. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. .
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 2. What is the quadruple squeeze that Dr. Rockstrom describes?

The quadruple squeeze is a combination of population growth, climate dilemma,

ecosystem decline, and the element of surprise, which hurts the Earth.

3. What is the Anthropocene? What evidence does Dr. Rockstrom offer for the
Anthropocene? When does he claim the Anthropocene begins?
Anthropocene is a newly defined era that goes away from the stability of the Holocene.
Rockstrom says that various global phenomena, such as the Earth venturing out of a stable
state in areas such as CO2 levels and biodiversity, have provided evidence for the
Anthropocene. He claims that it started in the 1800s with the Industrial Revolution.

4. Explain system tipping points (and also thresholds) and resilience using the diagrams
below:

Image credit: L. Schmalbeck

Through pressures of climate change, erosion, biodiversity loss, etc. gradually lose
resiliency (depth of the cup), but appear to be healthy. However, it can tip over and end up
in an undesired situation. For example, the arctic was taking blow after blow and appeared
to be healthy, but reached its tipping point/ threshold and lost 30-40% of its summer ice
cover.

Created by The North Carolina School of Science and Math.

Copyright 2012. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. .
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 5. What does Rockstrom claim is sustainable development and why is redundancy part of
the solution?
Rockstrom claims that sustainable development is possible, as seen with areas such as the
Great Barrier Reef, where problems were acknowledged and new approaches were put in
place in order to improve the system. Redundancy, along with persistency is part of the
solution because it helps us deal with a turbulent era of global change.

6. What is the planetary boundary framework? What are the components in the framework?
The planetary boundary framework is the idea that we need boundaries and limits to
prevent ourselves from reaching a tipping point that could lead to catastrophic results.
Components in the framework are: Climate change, ozone depletion, ocean acidification,
tampering with the nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, rate of biodiversity loss, freshwater
use, land system change, air pollution, and chemical pollution.

7. How does the planetary framework blend the approaches used in World3 and the
Ecological Footprint?

Created by The North Carolina School of Science and Math.

Copyright 2012. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. .
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