Planetary management
Planetary managementis intentional global-scale management ofEarth'sbiological,chemicalandphysicalprocesses andcycles(water,carbon,nitrogen,sulfur,phosphorus,and others). Planetary management also includes managinghumanity’s influence on planetary-scale processes.[1]Effective planetary management aims to prevent destabilisation ofEarth's climate,protectbiodiversityand maintain or improve human well-being. More specifically, it aims to benefit society and theglobal economy,and safeguard theecosystem servicesupon which humanity depends – globalclimate,freshwatersupply,food,energy,clean air, fertilesoil,pollinators,and so on.
Because of the sheer complexity and enormous scope of the task, it remains to be seen whether planetary management is a feasible paradigm for maintaining globalsustainability.The concept currently has defenders and critics on both sides:environmentalistDavid W. Orrquestions whether such a task can be accomplished with human help and technology or without first examining the underlying human causes,[2]while geographerVaclav Smilacknowledges that "the idea of planetary management may seem preposterous to many, but at this time in history there is no rational alternative".[3]
Background[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Planetary_Boundaries_2015.svg/400px-Planetary_Boundaries_2015.svg.png)
The term has been around in science fiction novels since the 1970s.[citation needed]In 2004, theInternational Geosphere-Biosphere Programmepublished “Global Change and the Earth System, a planet under pressure.”[6]The publication’s executive summary concluded: “An overall, comprehensive, internally consistent strategy for stewardship of the Earth system is required”. It stated that a research goal is to define and maintain a stable equilibrium in the global environment. In 2009, theplanetary boundariesconcept was published in the science journalNature.The paper identifies nine boundaries in the Earth system. Remaining within these nine boundaries, the authors suggest, may safeguard the current equilibrium.
In 2007, France called forUNEPto be replaced by a new and more powerful organization, theUnited Nations Environment Organization.The rationale was that UNEP’s status as a programme, rather than an organization in the tradition of theWorld Health Organizationor theWorld Meteorological Organization,weakened it to the extent that it was no longer fit for purpose given current knowledge of the state of Earth. The call was backed by 46 countries. Notably, the top five emitters ofgreenhouse gasesfailed to support the call.[7]
Planetary Ecosystems Accounting models supports that quantifying both emissions sequestration potential as well as emissions productions can provide a better overview on how to render better informed decisions regarding natural ecosystems.[8]
Comparison with other environmental worldviews[edit]
Together with planetary management,stewardshipandenvironmental wisdomare different ways to manage the Earth[9]or "environmental worldviews".
In particular:
- Planetary management focus its attention on humans needs and wants, while stewardship aim at the benefit of humans, organisms and ecosystems of the Earth:[9]in other words, planetary management considers humans as the most important species in the Earth, while stewardship and environmental wisdom consider all the species at the same level of importance.
- To accomplish its scope, planetary management relies on technology and innovation (as stewardship andspaceship-earth worldview), while environmental wisdom relies on the lesson learned from nature.[9]
See also[edit]
- 2030 Agenda
- Brundtland Commission
- Climate engineering
- Commission on Sustainable Development
- Earth systems engineering and management
- Earth system science
- Environmental management
- Geo engineering
- Global change
- Global governance
- Holocene extinction
- Macro-engineering
- Megaproject
- Planetary boundaries
- Planetary engineering
- Steady-state economy
- The Venus Project
References[edit]
- ^"A manual for planetary management".Retrieved2010-03-25.
- ^Orr, David W.(1999)."The Question of Management".In W. B. Willers (ed.).Unmanaged Landscapes: Voices for Untamed Nature.Island Press.ISBN1-55963-694-7.
- ^Smil, Vaclav(2003).The Earth's Biosphere: Evolution, Dynamics, and Change.MIT Press.p. 25.ISBN0-262-69298-8.
- ^Rockström, Steffen & 26 others 2009 .
- ^Steffen, W.; Richardson, K.; Rockstrom, J.; Cornell, S. E.; Fetzer, I.;Bennett, E. M.;Biggs, R.;Carpenter, S. R.;De Vries, W.; De Wit, C. A.; Folke, C.; Gerten, D.; Heinke, J.; Mace, G. M.; Persson, L. M.; Ramanathan, V.; Reyers, B.; Sorlin, S. (2015)."Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet".Science.347(6223): 1259855.doi:10.1126/science.1259855.hdl:1885/13126.PMID25592418.
- ^"Global Change and the Earth System".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-04-29.Retrieved2010-03-25.International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
- ^Doyle, Alister (2007-02-03)."46 nations call for tougher U.N. environment role".Reuters.Archived fromthe originalon 2015-12-08.
- ^Allam, Zaheer; Jones, David S.; Biyik, Can (2021-10-28)."Introducing a global planetary ecosystem accounting in the wake of the Amazon Forest fires".Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.8(1): 1–8.doi:10.1057/s41599-021-00937-0.hdl:10072/410307.ISSN2662-9992.S2CID240076227.
- ^abcDonna Cosmato,What's Your Environmental Worldview?
Further reading[edit]
- Burrows, Brian C.; Alan J. Mayne; Paul Newbury (1992).Into the Twenty-First Century: A Handbook for a Sustainable Future.Adamantine Press[clarification needed].ISBN0-7449-0031-X.
- Clark, W.C. (Sep 1989). "Managing Planet Earth".Scientific American.261(3). New York:W.H. Freeman:46–54.Bibcode:1989SciAm.261c..46C.doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0989-46.