Global ecological risks

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Abstract

This chapter aims to provide an overall scientific understanding of how human activities create risks to life on Earth. It explains the development and functions of the biosphere from the “Great Oxidation Event” to the present and the history of the human species from being hunters, fishers, and gatherers to the “Great Acceleration” during the last 70 years. According to some scientists, these years represent a transition from the geological period called the Holocene to the Anthropocene. The chapter describes major challenges to humanity, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion. At a more general level, it presents the planetary boundary framework that Earth-system scientists have developed to assess the most challenging global ecological risks to humanity. The chapter is primarily based on scientific reports from the UN that review and synthesize state-of-the-art scientific knowledge from all over the world and furthermore, on interdisciplinary scientific contributions in the tradition of Earth-system science. This body of scientific knowledge on climate change, biodiversity, and resources serves as an overall context for the other chapters in this book.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationInterdisciplinary Perspectives on Socioecological Challenges : Sustainable Transformations Globally and in the EU
EditorsAnders Siig Andersen, Henrik Hauggaard-Nielsen, Thomas Budde Christensen, Lars Hulgaard
Number of pages16
Place of PublicationLondon New York
PublisherRoutledge
Publication date7 Apr 2023
Pages16-32
Chapter1
ISBN (Print)9781032334387, 9781032334370
ISBN (Electronic)9781003319672
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Apr 2023
SeriesRoutledge Studies in Sustainable Development

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