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Planetary boundaries and earth system governance: Exploring the links

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  • Biermann, Frank

Abstract

This article discusses the concept of planetary boundaries that has been advanced by a group of leading experts around Johan Rockström. I place the concept of planetary boundaries in the larger framework of the emerging research paradigm of earth system governance, welcoming it as a crucial contribution that defines the overall goals of governance. Yet I also elaborate on the political conflicts that surround the identification of planetary boundaries, which are, in the end, a social construct. I then explore the policy and governance responses that may follow from the planetary boundary approach. In the conclusion, I point to several research challenges that flow from the current state of knowledge on planetary boundaries.

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  • Biermann, Frank, 2012. "Planetary boundaries and earth system governance: Exploring the links," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 4-9.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:81:y:2012:i:c:p:4-9
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.02.016
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    2. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808, Decembrie.
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    6. Biermann, Frank & Gupta, Aarti, 2011. "Accountability and legitimacy: An analytical challenge for earth system governance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 1854-1855, September.
    7. Shaohua Chen & Martin Ravallion, 2010. "The Developing World is Poorer than We Thought, But No Less Successful in the Fight Against Poverty," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 125(4), pages 1577-1625.
    8. Frank Biermann & Ingrid Boas, 2010. "Preparing for a Warmer World: Towards a Global Governance System to Protect Climate Refugees," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 10(1), pages 60-88, February.
    9. Frank Biermann & Michele Betsill & Joyeeta Gupta & Norichika Kanie & Louis Lebel & Diana Liverman & Heike Schroeder & Bernd Siebenhüner & Ruben Zondervan, 2010. "Earth system governance: a research framework," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 277-298, December.
    10. Marten Scheffer & Jordi Bascompte & William A. Brock & Victor Brovkin & Stephen R. Carpenter & Vasilis Dakos & Hermann Held & Egbert H. van Nes & Max Rietkerk & George Sugihara, 2009. "Early-warning signals for critical transitions," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7260), pages 53-59, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Combes, J.-L. & Combes Motel, P. & Minea, A. & Villieu, P., 2015. "Deforestation and seigniorage in developing countries: A tradeoff?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 220-230.
    3. Piero Morseletto & Frank Biermann & Philipp Pattberg, 2017. "Governing by targets: reductio ad unum and evolution of the two-degree climate target," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 655-676, October.
    4. Emily Webster, 2022. "Regulating humanity's impact on the earth: The promise of transnational environmental law," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 13(S3), pages 38-48, December.
    5. Jan K. Kazak, 2018. "The Use of a Decision Support System for Sustainable Urbanization and Thermal Comfort in Adaptation to Climate Change Actions—The Case of the Wrocław Larger Urban Zone (Poland)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Hörisch, Jacob & Ortas, Eduardo & Schaltegger, Stefan & Álvarez, Igor, 2015. "Environmental effects of sustainability management tools: An empirical analysis of large companies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 241-249.
    7. Galaz, V. & de Zeeuw, Aart & Shiroyama, Hideaki & Tripley, Debbie, 2016. "Planetary boundaries : Governing emerging risks and opportunities," Other publications TiSEM 0aebe291-f890-4a2d-9ab7-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    8. Chris Hadley, 2015. "The sustainability of New Zealand climate change policy: an ethical overview," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 477-495, June.
    9. Eckehard Rosenbaum, 2017. "Green Growth—Magic Bullet or Damp Squib?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-18, June.
    10. Galaz, Victor & Biermann, Frank & Folke, Carl & Nilsson, Måns & Olsson, Per, 2012. "Global environmental governance and planetary boundaries: An introduction," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1-3.
    11. Herrfahrdt-Pähle, Elke & Scheumann, Waltina & Houdret, Annabelle & Dombrowsky, Ines, 2019. "Freshwater as a global commons: International governance and the role of Germany," IDOS Discussion Papers 15/2019, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    12. Fang, Kai & Heijungs, Reinout & De Snoo, Geert R., 2015. "Understanding the complementary linkages between environmental footprints and planetary boundaries in a footprint–boundary environmental sustainability assessment framework," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 218-226.
    13. Fred Saunders, 2015. "Planetary boundaries: at the threshold… again: sustainable development ideas and politics," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 823-835, August.
    14. Salisu Barau, Aliyu & Stringer, Lindsay C., 2015. "Access to and allocation of ecosystem services in Malaysia's Pulau Kukup Ramsar Site," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 16(C), pages 167-173.

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