Planetary Boundaries: designing (fair?) limits to assess performance at the country level

Abstract

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The Planetary Boundaries framework, published in 2009 and updated in 2015 and 2023, proposes limits for nine environmental processes, which should not be transgressed to maintain the stability and resilience of the Earth system. To operationalize the Planetary Boundaries, these must be translated to lower scales, such as countries, suitable for action. This article reviews the allocation principles and methods enabling the quantification of fair limits and ultimately the assessment of performance at the country level. Based on a literature review, we synthesize six steps and six allocation principles applicable to translating the Planetary Boundaries at a country scale. We conclude that computing national shares based on multiple allocation principles for Planetary Boundaries remains a considerable challenge that does not preclude, however, discussions about the insights gained in terms of possible priorities. In its current status, the quantification of limits can and should support transparent political discussions on concrete and urgent commitments to maintain a well-functioning Earth system for humankind.

Keywords

• Planetary Boundaries
• operationalization
• translation
• allocation principles
• national scale
• fair shares