Anthropocene, earth system change, global change trends, global equity, great acceleration. Steffen s interests span a broad range within the fields of sustainability and earth system science, with an emphasis on the science of climate change, approaches to climate change adaptation in land systems, incorporation of human processes in earth system modelling and analysis. Records from the past show that abrupt global change is the norm, not the exception, in the earth system. Matson, berrien moore iii, frank oldfield, katherine richardson, hansjoachim schellnhuber, billie l. The interactions between environmental change and human societies have a long, complex history spanning many millennia, but these have changed fundamentally in the last century. The project was inspired by the proposal in 2000 by paul crutzen, a vicechair of igbp, that the earth had left the holocene and entered a new geological epoch, the anthropocene, driven by. This book describes what is known about the earth system and the impact of changes caused by humans. The anthropocene equation owen gaffney, will steffen, 2017. Information about the openaccess article steffen, w. Many recent changessuch as the globalization of the. Will steffen 1,2, wendy broadgate3, lisa deutsch1, owen gaffney3, cornelia ludwig1. Global change, the earth system and the anthropocene. The increasing human pressure on the earth system was a key component of the synthesis.
A humaninclusive earth system implies that globalscale social and economic processes are now becoming significant features in the functioning of the system, like atmospheric and oceanic circulation. In our view, the clearest emergency would be if we were approaching a global cascade of tipping points that led to. The concept of the anthropocene, proposed by one of us p. Human activities are now so pervasive and profound that they are altering the earth in ways which threaten the very life support system upon which humans depend. If critical thresholds are crossed and the earth system shifts to another state much less amenable to human life, then everyday life as we know it social systems, economics, politics ceases to have meaning. Research article sustainability planetary boundaries. Global change and the earth system p the interactions between environmental change and human societies have a long complex history spanning many. Finally, the earth system includes humans, our societies, and our activities. Global change and the earth system by steffen, will ebook. How defining planetary boundaries can transform our approach. At the global scale, there is only one ultimate bottom line. By placing current and future global changes in a long term perspective, they can be assessed relative to natural variability.
Earth system away from a globally stable holocene state towards new, hotter climatic conditions and a profoundly different biosphere 8,9,10. In the last six decades, anthropogenic forcings have driven exceptionally rapid rates of change in the earth system. Trajectories of the earth system in the anthropocene pnas. Matson, berrien moore iii, frank oldfield, katherine richardson, hansjoachim schellnhuber, billie. In some ways, the term earth system is a more useful one than the environment, not least because it highlights the fact that the natural world is a dynamic, complex entity with its own laws and processes, rather than being simply a. From 1998 to 2004, he was the executive director of the international geospherebiosphere programme, a co. A planet under pressure, igbp global change series berlin and new york. Executive director, the anu climate change institute. Global change and the earth system describes what is known about the earth system and the impact of changes caused by humans. The pages research community works toward improving our understanding of the earth s changing environment. One of the criticisms made by those sceptical of the majority scientific consensus on climate change and its likely future consequences is that the earth system science upon which it is based is fu. Challenges of a changing earth proceedings of the global. Observed trends in earth system behavior steffen 2010. The iconic images of earth beamed back by the earliest spacecraft helped to galvanise interest in our planets environment.
In the dominant climate change narrative, humans are an external force driving change to the earth system in a largely linear, deterministic way. Steffen et al anthropocene global change to planetary stewardship ambio 2011. What are the implications of global change for human wellbeing. The effects of the accelerating human changes are now clearly discernible at the earth system level. The earth system frank oldfield will steffen in the context of global change, the earth system has come to mean the suite of interacting physical, chemical, and biological globalscale cycles often called biogeochemical cycles and energy fluxes which provide the conditions necessary for life on the planet. Transforming the world in an era of global change, in stockholm, 1619 may 2011, stockholm resilience centre, the royal swedish academy of sciences, the. Natural and human processes are woven into a complex. Pdf trajectories of the earth system in the anthropocene. American meteorological society this book presents a stateofthescience overview of global change and its consequences for human societies. It considers the consequences of these changes with respect to the stability of the earth system and the wellbeing of humankind. In our view, the clearest emergency would be if we were approaching a global cascade of tipping points that led to a new, less habitable, hothouse climate state 11. An abrupt change is a hardwired feature of the earth system independent of human existence, while violation of a.
The post1950 acceleration in the earth system indicators remains clear. A planet under pressure will steffen, regina angelina sanderson, peter d. The earth system indicators, in general, continued their longterm, postindustrial rise, although a few, such as atmospheric methane concentration and stratospheric ozone loss, showed a slowing or apparent stabilisation over the past decade. In the last six decades, anthropogenic forcings have driven exceptionally rapid rates of change in. A planet under pressure to date regarding the publication we now have global change and the earth system. And it explores future paths toward earthsystem science in support of global sustainability. This book describes what is known about the earth system and its response to human activities. However, as several examples below will demonstrate, changes are now occurring in earth system. The pages research community works toward improving our understanding of the earths changing environment. In global change and the earth system, they have brought together a wide range of compelling information that may inspire new scientists and remind more experienced ones of the context surrounding their work. How serious is this inadvertent human experiment with its own life support system. Global change and the earth system by will steffen, 9783540265948, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. We use the term global change to mean both the biophysical.
Somewhat more than a decade ago it was recognised that the earth behaves as a system in which the oceans, atmosphere and land, and the living and nonliving parts therein, were all connected. A planet under pressure global change the igbp series series by will steffen. The subsequent evolution and development of satellites for earth observation has been intricately linked with that of igbp and other globalchange research programmes, write jack kaye and cat downy. The step change in the structure and functioning of the earth system with the beginning of the great acceleration in the mid. Trajectories of the earth system in the anthropocene. The current atmospheric co 2 concentration of over 400 ppm is already well above the holocene maximum and, indeed, the upper limit of any interglacial 11.
How defining planetary boundaries can transform our. Steffen and colleagues provide an accessible entry point into the world of global change. Anthropogenic climate change and the nature of earth. In global change and the earth system, they have brought together a wide range of compelling information that may inspire new scientists and remind more experienced ones. Oct 12, 2011 or, more simply, the human enterprise is now a fully coupled, interacting component of the earth system itself steffen et al. The dominant external forces influencing the rate of change of the earth system have been astronomical and geophysical during the planets 4. This new regime can be represented by an anthropocene equation, where other forcings tend to zero, and the rate of change under human influence can be estimated. The trajectory of the the authors 2015 anthropocene. After the proximate and ultimate human drivers of change in the earth system are described, the cumulative impact of these drivers on the structure and functioning of the. Praise for will steffens, challenges of a changing earth. Transforming the world in an era of global change, in stockholm, 1619 may 2011, stockholm resilience centre, the royal swedish academy of sciences, the stockholm environment institute, the. Stratigraphic and earth system approaches to defining the. It considers the consequences of these changes with respect to the stability of the earth system and human wellbeing.
Anthropogenic climate change and the nature of earth system. Oct 12, 2011 the article is based on steffen et al. Or, more simply, the human enterprise is now a fully coupled, interacting component of the earth system itself steffen et al. Global change and the earth system a planet under pressure. We have to learn to live with thresholds and respect them. A planet under pressure repost free epub, mobi, pdf ebooks download, ebook torrents download. The behavior of the earth system over the past two centuries has been dominated by the rapid rise of human activities as a significant geophysical force at the global scale. Global change and the earth system executive summary 4 global change and the earth system executive summary 5. Stability landscape showing the pathway of the earth system out of the holocene and thus, out of the glacialinterglacial limit cycle to its present position in the hotter anthropocene. How robust is the earth system in the face of this new internal force of change.
805 914 924 843 153 1131 414 208 295 1367 1057 493 575 1551 494 1389 572 347 382 1172 1417 955 713 1226 529 837 1246