FIRST ROUGH DRAFT, DO NOT QUOTE 1. Multiple Global Crises and 'Tipping Points'
The possible implications of abrupt climate change have induced considerable scientific and political attention the last few years. Some of this debate has evolved around the notion of interacting multiple crisis at the global scale (Walker et al 2009, Smith and Fishbacher 2009, Beck 2008). Other ha...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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2009
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.390.3097 http://www.earthsystemgovernance.org/ac2009/papers/AC2009-0314.pdf |
| Summary: | The possible implications of abrupt climate change have induced considerable scientific and political attention the last few years. Some of this debate has evolved around the notion of interacting multiple crisis at the global scale (Walker et al 2009, Smith and Fishbacher 2009, Beck 2008). Other have evolved around the notion of possible 'thresholds ' or 'tipping points ' at the planetary scale. Crossing such critical thresholds can unleash feedback mechanisms that drive the Earth system into a much warmer, greenhouse gas-rich state (Steffen et al 2004, Lenton et al 2008). Earth system scientists are now also exploring additional – and often overseen – so called "planetary boundaries " (see Rockström et al 2009). These are nine Earth system processes that manifest themselves in different ways at the planetary level and include not only climate targets (such as 350 ppm), but also ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, ocean acidification, global freshwater use, chemical pollution, land system change, biodiversity, and biogeochemistry. Drawing a "safe operating space for humanity " (Rockström et al 2009) is bound to be a highly controversial project. As a number of the responses to the Rockström and colleagues article in Nature demonstrate, the approach is seen as interesting and timely, but also to embed a range |
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