BY JOE SMITH
Planetary boundaries In August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its sixth assessment report on the state of our climate – it came with a stark warning
Many children are brought up with a teaching of boundaries, the more rebellious readers may be familiar with pushing back on them. The adventurous enjoy the challenges of pushing the boundaries, however in our society, which enjoys growth and prosperity, boundaries are seen as unwanted obstacles to overcome. Some boundaries are impressive to behold and yet others may be so transparent and slow moving their magnitude is only made visible when we take a stride too far. I refer here to the boundaries of our world. Not the reach into space or the ocean depths below, but the equilibrium between our sustainable existence and conditions the planet can support. It has been the work of Swedish professor Johan Rockström and his team at the Stockholm Resilience Centre to uncover where these planetary boundaries lie and to evaluate their current state. They have identified nine factors relating to our sustainable existence, from the acidification of
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