Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrients
Anthropogenic nutrient flows exceed the planetary boundaries. The boundaries and the current excesses vary spatially. Such variations have both an ecological and a social facet. We explored the spatial variation using a bottom-up approach. The local critical boundaries were determined through the cu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/10/104013 |
| _version_ | 1797748654980726784 |
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| author | Helena Kahiluoto Miia Kuisma Anna Kuokkanen Mirja Mikkilä Lassi Linnanen |
| author_facet | Helena Kahiluoto Miia Kuisma Anna Kuokkanen Mirja Mikkilä Lassi Linnanen |
| author_sort | Helena Kahiluoto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anthropogenic nutrient flows exceed the planetary boundaries. The boundaries and the current excesses vary spatially. Such variations have both an ecological and a social facet. We explored the spatial variation using a bottom-up approach. The local critical boundaries were determined through the current or accumulated flow of the preceding five years before the planetary boundary criteria were met. Finland and Ethiopia served as cases with contrasting ecology and wealth. The variation in excess depends on historical global inequities in the access to nutrients. Globally, the accumulated use per capita is 2300 kg reactive nitrogen (N _r ) and 200 kg phosphorus (P). For Finland, the accumulated use per capita is 3400 kg N _r and 690 kg P, whereas for Ethiopia, it is 26 kg N _r and 12 kg P. The critical N boundary in Finland is currently exceeded by 40 kg cap ^−1 a ^−1 and the accumulated excess is 65 kg cap ^−1 a ^−1 , while the global current excess is 24 kg cap ^−1 a ^−1 and there is space in Ethiopia to increase even the accumulated flow. The critical P boundary is exceeded in Finland and (although less so) in Ethiopia, but for contrary reasons: (1) the excessive past inflow to the agrifood system in Finland and (2) the excessive outflow from the agrifood system triggered by deficits in inflow and waste management in Ethiopia. The critical boundaries set by Finnish marine systems are lower and those set by freshwaters are higher than the planetary boundaries downscaled per capita. The shift to dominance of internal loading in watercourses represents a tipping point. We conclude that food security within the safe boundaries requires global redistribution of nutrients in residues, soils and sediments and of rights to use nutrients. Bottom-up assessments reveal local dynamics that shed new light on the relevant boundary criteria and on estimates and remedies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:07:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bf58b3475a9c46e0b74a39ef74e85b8b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:07:52Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-bf58b3475a9c46e0b74a39ef74e85b8b2023-08-09T14:16:27ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262015-01-01101010401310.1088/1748-9326/10/10/104013Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrientsHelena Kahiluoto0Miia Kuisma1Anna Kuokkanen2Mirja Mikkilä3Lassi Linnanen4Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Jokiniemenkuja 1, FI-01370 Vantaa, FinlandNatural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Lönnrotinkatu 5, FI-50100 Mikkeli, FinlandLappeenranta University of Technology , PO Box 20, FI-53851 Lappeenranta, FinlandLappeenranta University of Technology , PO Box 20, FI-53851 Lappeenranta, FinlandLappeenranta University of Technology , PO Box 20, FI-53851 Lappeenranta, FinlandAnthropogenic nutrient flows exceed the planetary boundaries. The boundaries and the current excesses vary spatially. Such variations have both an ecological and a social facet. We explored the spatial variation using a bottom-up approach. The local critical boundaries were determined through the current or accumulated flow of the preceding five years before the planetary boundary criteria were met. Finland and Ethiopia served as cases with contrasting ecology and wealth. The variation in excess depends on historical global inequities in the access to nutrients. Globally, the accumulated use per capita is 2300 kg reactive nitrogen (N _r ) and 200 kg phosphorus (P). For Finland, the accumulated use per capita is 3400 kg N _r and 690 kg P, whereas for Ethiopia, it is 26 kg N _r and 12 kg P. The critical N boundary in Finland is currently exceeded by 40 kg cap ^−1 a ^−1 and the accumulated excess is 65 kg cap ^−1 a ^−1 , while the global current excess is 24 kg cap ^−1 a ^−1 and there is space in Ethiopia to increase even the accumulated flow. The critical P boundary is exceeded in Finland and (although less so) in Ethiopia, but for contrary reasons: (1) the excessive past inflow to the agrifood system in Finland and (2) the excessive outflow from the agrifood system triggered by deficits in inflow and waste management in Ethiopia. The critical boundaries set by Finnish marine systems are lower and those set by freshwaters are higher than the planetary boundaries downscaled per capita. The shift to dominance of internal loading in watercourses represents a tipping point. We conclude that food security within the safe boundaries requires global redistribution of nutrients in residues, soils and sediments and of rights to use nutrients. Bottom-up assessments reveal local dynamics that shed new light on the relevant boundary criteria and on estimates and remedies.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/10/104013global equitylocalityhistorybottom-up assessmenttipping pointsocial planetary boundary |
| spellingShingle | Helena Kahiluoto Miia Kuisma Anna Kuokkanen Mirja Mikkilä Lassi Linnanen Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrients Environmental Research Letters global equity locality history bottom-up assessment tipping point social planetary boundary |
| title | Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrients |
| title_full | Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrients |
| title_fullStr | Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrients |
| title_short | Local and social facets of planetary boundaries: right to nutrients |
| title_sort | local and social facets of planetary boundaries right to nutrients |
| topic | global equity locality history bottom-up assessment tipping point social planetary boundary |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/10/104013 |
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