A report published in the journal Ecology and Society explores the role of agriculture in destabilising the Earth system at the planetary scale.
The report examines nine planetary boundaries, or “safe limits”: land-system change, freshwater use, biogeochemical flows, biosphere integrity, climate change, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, and introduction of novel entities. Two planetary boundaries have been fully transgressed, i.e. are at high risk: biosphere integrity and biogeochemical flows, and agriculture has been the major driver of these transgressions. Three are in a zone of uncertainty, i.e. at increasing risk, with agriculture the major driver of two of these: landsystem change and freshwater use, and a significant contributor to the third, climate change. Agriculture is also a significant or major contributor to change for many of those planetary boundaries still in the safe zone. To reduce the role of agriculture in transgressing planetary boundaries, many interventions will be needed, including those in broader food systems.
In summary, a more balanced consumption-production approach is needed overall, in which agriculture plays a key part of a complex and highly integrative overall food system. A holistic approach should also create opportunities that may help to smooth the transition from business-as-usual to a more sustainable food system (Ingram et al. 2016). The “improvement” of agriculture and the overall food system is rightly perceived as being a significant step towards the sustainable development of our planet.
Reference
Campbell, B. M., D. J. Beare, E. M. Bennett, J. M. Hall-Spencer, J. S. I. Ingram, F. Jaramillo, R. Ortiz, N. Ramankutty, J. A. Sayer, and D. Shindell. 2017. Agriculture production as a major driver of the Earth system exceeding planetary boundaries. Ecology and Society 22 (4):8. [accessed 05/06/2018]
The views expressed by our Research News contributors are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
The views expressed by our Research News contributors are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
