Ethics and Planetary Boundaries
Ethics and Planetary Boundaries
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The planetary boundaries framework examines the profound risks human actions pose to Earth's stability and resilience. Since its introduction in 2009, and through subsequent updates, the framework has become one of the most influential ideas of our age, yet it has not been put to close ethical scrutiny. This book takes a multidisciplinary approach to the ethics of the planetary boundaries, ranging from international law to Indigenous knowledge and from science to art, and political ecology. The editors introduce each boundary before two chapters examine the reach, limits, and ethical stakes of each of the nine planetary boundaries. This volume comes at a critical moment, when unprecedented environmental challenges demand new approaches, tools, and perspectives to address questions of epistemology and justice. It is a valuable resource for students, citizens, and academics concerned with relationships of knowledges, ethics, and environments. This title is available Open Access through Cambridge Core.
- Presents a comprehensive overview of the planetary boundaries framework
- Takes a multidisciplinary approach, including chapters by distinguished scholars and researchers from a range of disciplines
- Provides the first book-length examination of the ethical implications of the planetary boundaries framework
- This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core
Product details
- Published: September 2026
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9781009443579
- Length: 300 pages
- Dimensions: 244 × 170 mm
- Availability: Not yet published - available from September 2026
Table of Contents
- Part I. Introduction:
- 1. Planetary boundaries: thinking across science and ethics Jeremy J. Schmidt
- Part II. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion:
- 2. Introduction to the Ozone boundary Simon P. Meisch
- 3. The planetary boundary on stratospheric Ozone depletion as evolution of values under the ozone regime Louise du Toit
- 4. Are Ozone's relationships of normative importance? Christine Winter
- Part III. Climate Change:
- 5. Introduction to the climate boundary Simon P. Meisch
- 6. Climate boundaries and border crossers Miriam Gay-Antaki
- 7. An arctic bounded by whiteness Sandré Tanguy and Jeanne Gherardi
- Part IV. Biodiversity Integrity:
- 8. Introduction to the biodiversity boundary Simon P. Meisch
- 9. Ethical perspectives on biodiversity as planetary boundary Uta Eser
- 10. Inter-species justice and the right to thrive: biodiversity in crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand Makere Stewart-Harawira
- Part V. Land System Change:
- 11. Introduction to the land system boundary Simon P. Meisch
- 12. A transformative multispecies land use ethic for the amazon Joana Castro Pereira and Carlota Houart
- 13. In conversation with a land: extracts from the Pianpicollo diary Alice Benessia
- Part VI. Freshwater Change:
- 14. Introduction to the freshwater boundary Jeremy J. Schmidt
- 15. The role of the planetary boundaries framework in water-related management and policy decisions Neelke Doorn
- 16. Navigating pathways to just water futures? A hydrosocial engagement with the planetary boundaries framework Nicole J. Wilson
- Part VII. Biogeochemical Flows:
- 17. Introduction to the biogeochemical boundary Jeremy J. Schmidt
- 18. Food fight: moving beyond wizards and prophets to achieve a sustainable phosphorus system James Elser
- 19. Between justice and food security: planetary legacies of mining phosphate Islands Katerina Teaiwa
- Part VIII. Ocean Acidification:
- 20. Introduction to the ocean acidification boundary Simon P. Meisch
- 21. How can we curb ocean acidification in a time of multiple competing global crises? Rachel Haug Fossbakk
- 22. Impacts of ocean acidification: an analysis from and environmental ethics perspective Konrad Ott
- Part IX. Atmospheric Aerosols:
- 23. Introduction to the aerosol boundary
- 24. The Ethics of clean air governance: a legal perspective on the atmospheric aerosol loading planetary boundary Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli
- 25. The end of experimentation: geoengineering and planetary boundaries Jeremy J. Schmidt
- Part X. Novel Entities:
- 26. Introduction to the novel entities boundaries Jeremy J. Schmidt
- 27. Novel entities as planetary boundary: ethical considerations Andreas Bachman and Ariane Willemsen
- 28. The crisis of planetary narratives: a conversation with Erle Ellis Erle Ellis
- Part XI. Conclusion:
- 29. The planetary boundaries: knowing what the question is Simon P. Meisch.
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