evsc lec 1 deck

What are the Specific Planetary Boundaries?

1. Biosphere Integrity

2. Land System Change

3. Freshwater Use

4. Ocean Acidification & Marine Systems

5. Biogeochemical Flows

6. Strat Ozone Depletion

7. Atmosphere Aerosol Loading

8. Climate Change

9. Novel Entities Introduced to Biosphere (ex., microplastics)

What boundaries are we most associated with?

Biosphere Integrity and climate change

What is a planetary boundary?

an indicator which shows us the general targets that must not be exceeded, as it risks causing abrupt environmental changes.

What is environmental science

the study of how Earth's physical, chemical, and biological systems interact, with a focus on human impacts and the development of solutions to environmental problems like climate change, pollution, and resource depletion

different spheres of the Earth's structure

1. Geosphere

2. Hydrosphere

3. Biosphere

4. Atmosphere

Geosphere

The solid Earth: the crust, the rock beneath the crust, the outer core and the inner core. The Geosphere provides the physical land-based habitat for humans, animals and plants

Hydrosphere

the solid, liquid and gaseous forms of all water on Earth

the water in rivers and lakes, oceans and inland seas, glaciers and ice caps (Cryosphere), in the atmosphere as water vapour (Atmosphere).

Biosphere

contains all the living things on Earth, including all of the microorganisms, plants, and animals of Earth.

biomes

Within the Biosphere, living things form ecological communities based on the physical surroundings of an area

atmosphere

contains all the air in Earth's system. It extends from less than 1 m below the planet's surface to more than 10,000 km above the planet's surface

What is the concept of planetary boundaries?

Planetary boundaries define the safe operating space for humanity within the Earth's system.

Where is the planetary boundary placed in relation to biophysical thresholds?

The planetary boundary is placed 'upstream' of the biophysical threshold, meaning it is set before reaching the threshold.

Two boundaries within the planetary boundaries

Safety and Risk

Safety boundary

First boundary: brings concern and awareness, ramped up efforts

risk boundary

Second boundary: will bring major disruptions to the Earth System (think IPCC Global Avg. Temp Target