Brenna Copeland

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 Holocene? Why do the authors and TED presenter refer to that
period of geological history as the time when our ecosystem capital
accumulated? The Holocene is the only phase of Earth that we know of that
can support human development. During this time humans invented
agriculture and domesticated animals and plants.

2. What is the quadruple squeeze that Dr. Rockstrom describes? The

quadruple sqeeze is the four major changes that are creating pressure for
Created by The North Carolina School of Science and Math.
Copyright 2012. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. . 1
Brenna Copeland

the earth. The four events that are squeezing Earth is the human growth
dilemma, the climate change dilemma, the ecosystem lost dilemma and
surprise.

3. What is the Anthropocene? What evidence does Dr. Rockstrom offer for the
Anthropocene? When does he claim the Anthropocene begins? The
Anthropocene is the geological era where humans are the predominant
driver of change at a planetary level. Climate change, deforestation, ozone
depletion, and various environmental problems are obviously caused by
humans. Various graphs and data show that the Anthropocene started in the
mid 1950s.

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

Where the ball is, represents a

threshold. The depth of the cup is
the resilience of the system. When
the resilience is loss, the depth of
the cup is decreased. When the
second example happens, the
state is unstable and undesired
results may happen. Catastrophic
change could occur.

5. What does Rockstrom claim is sustainable development and why is

redundancy part of the solution? Rockstrom wants other to acknowledge
redundancy so we invest in the whole system as an integrated whole. This
will then allow for much more redundancy in the system, thus making it
more successful.

6. What is the planetary boundary framework? What are the components in

the framework? The planetary boundary framework shows the evidence that
we are damaging our planet. The factors are things we need to watch. The
Created by The North Carolina School of Science and Math.
Copyright 2012. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. . 2
Brenna Copeland

framework includes climate change, ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol

load, ocean acidity, freshwater consumption, chemical pollution, agriculture
land, biodiversity loss, nitrogen flow and phosphorus flow.

7. How does the planetary framework blend the approaches used in World3?
Both these different diagrams take in many factors of the Earth and try to
predict the possible future of Earth. These approaches show people what
may be in store for our future and show the user that lifestyle changes are
needed on a global level.

Created by The North Carolina School of Science and Math.

Copyright 2012. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. . 3