Title: Earth Beyond Six of Nine Planetar

Abstract

This planetary boundaries framework update finds that six of the nine boundaries are transgressed, suggesting that Earth is now well outside of the safe operating space for humanity. Ocean acidification is close to being breached, while aerosol loading regionally exceeds the boundary. Stratospheric ozone levels have slightly recovered. The transgression level has increased for all boundaries earlier identified as overstepped. As primary production drives Earth system biosphere functions, human appropriation of net primary production is proposed as a control variable for functional biosphere integrity. This boundary is also transgressed. Earth system modelling of different levels of the transgression of the climate and land system change boundaries illustrates that these anthropogenic impacts on Earth system must be considered in a systemic context.

Bio on Katherine Richardson

Katherine Richardson is a professor in biological oceanography at the University of Copenhagen, leader of the Sustainability Science Centre (www.sustainability.ku.dk), a principle investigator in the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate (www.macroecology.ku.dk), and Leader of the Queen Margrethe’s and Vigdís Finnbogadóttir´s Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ocean, Climate, and Society (www.ROCS.ku.dk). 

Her research focuses on the importance of biological processes in the ocean for the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere and how ocean biology, including diversity, contributes to ocean function in the Earth System. Katherine is also a core developer of the Planetary Boundaries framework that attempts to identify a safe operating space for humanity in its impact on global resources. KR holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard College (1976), a PhD from the University of Wales (awarded while on a Marshall Fellowship) and a D.Sc. from the University of Copenhagen. KR was Chairman of the Danish Commission on Climate Change Policy that reported in 2010 and presented a roadmap for how Denmark can become independent of fossil fuels by 2050. She is at present a member of the Government appointed Danish Climate Council and was a member of the 15-person Independent Group of Scientists appointed by Ban Ki Moon to draft the 2019 UN Global Sustainable Development Report. Further, KR is a present member of the Danish Government’s Biodiversity Partnership for 2023-2024. She is Co-Editor in Chief of the Marine Ecology Progress Series and a member of the editorial board for Global Sustainability. Authorship of books includes Our Threatened Oceans (2008) and Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions (2014). She is or has been a member or Chair of numerous national and international committees and organisations relating to science policy and/or sustainability. She is currently co-chair of the Northern European Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). KR has been awarded the Danish Order of the Dannebrog (1st level). In 2022, KR has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Tromsø, Norway.

Participation

Open to all.

Contact 

Department of Biology
https://bio.au.dk/om-instituttet/vis/artikel/katherine-richardson-earth-beyond-six-of-nine-planetar

Ny Munkegade 114-116
DK-8000 Aarhus C

Tel: 8715 0000

bio@au.dk