Revisiting Rockström et al. (2009) – A Safe Operating Space for Humanity

Abstract

This chapter analyses the planetary boundaries framework introduced by Johan Rockström and colleagues in Nature (2009). The framework identifies nine planetary boundaries, understood as critical thresholds, within which humanity has a ‘safe operating space’. According to the authors, exceeding the planetary boundaries leads to risky and potentially irreversible change, and as of 2009, they reported that three of the nine boundaries had been exceeded. Situating the concept within Earth system science, resilience thinking and the Anthropocene debate, the chapter highlights how Rockström et al. (2009) framed the nine processes as interdependent systems. The chapter examines scientific foundations, normative assumptions, major critiques and discusses implications for governance and disaster risk reduction. The chapter concludes by emphasizing ecosystem protection and restoration as an example of the interlinkages of the planetary boundaries and central to planetary stability, disaster risk reduction and human well-being.