title: Sustainability. Planetary boundaries: guiding human development on a changing planet.
abstract: The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity based on the intrinsic biophysical processes that regulate the stability of the Earth system. Here, we revise and update the planetary boundary framework, with a focus on the underpinning biophysical science, based on targeted input from expert research communities and on more general scientific advances over the past 5 years. Several of the boundaries now have a two-tier approach, reflecting the importance of cross-scale interactions and the regional-level heterogeneity of the processes that underpin the boundaries. Two core boundaries—climate change and biosphere integrity—have been identified, each of which has the potential on its own to drive the Earth system into a new state should they be substantially and persistently transgressed.
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden. Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. will.steffen@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Will
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.affiliation: Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Universitetsparken 15, Building 3, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rockström
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Cornell
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fetzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resource Sciences and McGill School of Environment, McGill University, 21, 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
authors.forename: Elena M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden. Centre for Studies in Complexity, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa.
authors.forename: Reinette
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Biggs
authors.affiliation: Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, 680 North Park Street, Madison WI 53706 USA.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.affiliation: Alterra Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA Wageningen, Netherlands. Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Wit
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden. Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Folke
authors.affiliation: Research Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gerten
authors.affiliation: Research Domain Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A62, 14473 Potsdam, Germany. International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi, 00100 Kenya. CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), St. Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heinke
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research (CBER), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Georgina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Mace
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan 87D, SE-10451 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Linn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.affiliation: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, 8622 Kennel Way, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA. TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) University, 10 Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, Delhi 110070, India.
authors.forename: Veerabhadran
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ramanathan
authors.affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden. Natural Resources and the Environment, CSIR, P.O. Box 320, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reyers
authors.affiliation: Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sverker
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sörlin
mesh_terms: D001272:Atmosphere; D005075:Biological Evolution; D057231:Climate Change; D018534:Earth, Planet; D005618:Fresh Water; D006801:Humans; D062966:Ozone Depletion