| 1. |
- Carney Almroth, Bethanie, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Obstacles to scientific input in global policy.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Science (New York, N.Y.). - 1095-9203 .- 0036-8075. ; 380:6649, s. 1021-1022
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 2. |
- Eriksen, Marcus, et al.
(författare)
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A growing plastic smog, now estimated to be over 170 trillion plastic particles afloat in the world's oceans-Urgent solutions required
- 2023
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 18:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As global awareness, science, and policy interventions for plastic escalate, institutions around the world are seeking preventative strategies. Central to this is the need for precise global time series of plastic pollution with which we can assess whether implemented policies are effective, but at present we lack these data. To address this need, we used previously published and new data on floating ocean plastics (n = 11,777 stations) to create a global time-series that estimates the average counts and mass of small plastics in the ocean surface layer from 1979 to 2019. Today’s global abundance is estimated at approximately 82–358 trillion plastic particles weighing 1.1–4.9 million tonnes. We observed no clear detectable trend until 1990, a fluctuating but stagnant trend from then until 2005, and a rapid increase until the present. This observed acceleration of plastic densities in the world’s oceans, also reported for beaches around the globe, demands urgent international policy interventions.
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| 3. |
- Persson, L., et al.
(författare)
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Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 56:3, s. 1510-1521
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We submit that the safe operating space of the planetary boundary of novel entities is exceeded since annual production and releases are increasing at a pace that outstrips the global capacity for assessment and monitoring. The novel entities boundary in the planetary boundaries framework refers to entities that are novel in a geological sense and that could have large-scale impacts that threaten the integrity of Earth system processes. We review the scientific literature relevant to quantifying the boundary for novel entities and highlight plastic pollution as a particular aspect of high concern. An impact pathway from production of novel entities to impacts on Earth system processes is presented. We define and apply three criteria for assessment of the suitability of control variables for the boundary: feasibility, relevance, and comprehensiveness. We propose several complementary control variables to capture the complexity of this boundary, while acknowledging major data limitations. We conclude that humanity is currently operating outside the planetary boundary based on the weight-of-evidence for several of these control variables. The increasing rate of production and releases of larger volumes and higher numbers of novel entities with diverse risk potentials exceed societies' ability to conduct safety related assessments and monitoring. We recommend taking urgent action to reduce the harm associated with exceeding the boundary by reducing the production and releases of novel entities, noting that even so, the persistence of many novel entities and/or their associated effects will continue to pose a threat. ©
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Villarrubia-Gómez, Patricia, et al.
(författare)
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Marine plastic pollution as a planetary boundary threat - The drifting piece in the sustainability puzzle
- 2018
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Ingår i: Marine Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0308-597X .- 1872-9460. ; 96, s. 213-220
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The exponential increase in the use of plastic in modern society and the inadequate management of the resulting waste have led to its accumulation in the marine environment. There is increasing evidence of numerous mechanisms by which marine plastic pollution is causing effects across successive levels of biological organization. This will unavoidably impact ecological communities and ecosystem functions. A remaining question to be answered is if the concentration of plastic in the ocean, today or in the future, will reach levels above a critical threshold leading to global effects in vital Earth-system processes, thus granting the consideration of marine plastic pollution as a key component of the planetary boundary threat associated with chemical pollutants. Possible answers to this question are explored by reviewing and evaluating existing knowledge of the effects of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems and the 'core planetary boundaries', biosphere integrity and climate change. The irreversibility and global ubiquity of marine plastic pollution mean that two essential conditions for a planetary boundary threat are already met. The Earth system consequences of plastic pollution are still uncertain, but pathways and mechanisms for thresholds and global systemic change are identified. Irrespective of the recognition of plastic as a novel entity in the planetary boundaries framework, it is certain that marine plastic pollution is closely intertwined with global processes to a point that deserves careful management and prevention.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Villarrubia-Gómez, Patricia, 1988-
(författare)
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The Global Plastics Pollution Challenge : Plastics within the planetary boundaries framework
- 2024
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Plastics are a ubiquitously used material in modern life. People worldwide encounter plastics and their associated chemicals, such as chemical additives and non-intentionally added substances daily, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Recently, there has been a significant increase in research into the ecological impacts of plastic pollution. Plastics pollution is often misrepresented in popular narratives as a waste problem caused by consumer behavior and poor littering habits. While better solid waste management, including increased recycling and clean-up efforts, and changes in consumer behavior may contribute addressing the issue, it is important to urgently recognize the complexity of the problem beyond this end-of-life approach. This oversimplification ignores the impact of plastics pollution on on the processes that regulate Earth system conditions the extent of which is currently unknown. This Licentiate aims to enhance comprehension of the impact of plastic pollution on biophysical and biogeochemical processes in the Earth system. The study is guided by the Planetary Boundaries framework and seeks to answer the following questions: i) has plastics pollution contributed to exceeding the novel entities’ planetary boundary and departing from the safe operating space for humanity?; and ii) are there Earth system impacts of plastic pollution? Paper I sets out control variables that could track the planetary pressures in the planetary boundaries framework. Paper II explores Earth system impacts via linkages from plastics pollution to the other processes in the planetary boundaries framework. The research is guided by pluralism and reflexivity, and the methods used include expert deliberation and synthesis. In Paper III, I begin to link the social and ecological dimensions of plastic pollution, in a scientific commentary that uses normative analysis to integrate social-ecological systems. This thesis argues that plastics pollution, as a human-made novel entity, has exceeded the safe operating space for humanity. It explores the challenges of establishing a quantiTiable limit for novel entities and suggests using several control variables to capture the complexity of this boundary. It provides speciTic examples for each variable and discusses the complexity of plastics pollution at the planetary level. Moreover, it highlights the potential negative consequences of setting up a single quantiTiable boundary. Additionally, it demonstrates how plastics pollution disrupts Earth system processes across all planetary boundaries, and how changes in one boundary can have knock-on effects on others. It shows that the impacts of plastics pollution can exacerbate the impacts of other planetary boundaries. Furthermore, this thesis presents a synthesis of complex information from multiple fields of natural science. This research has demonstrated the ability to engage negotiators and has the potential to facilitate scientific knowledge for the science-policy interface in the ongoing UN- led Plastics Treaty multilateral agreement. By proposing ways to translate these assessments into clear and understandable language, it enables country delegates and civil society to better use science-based knowledge to inform policy. The next phase of the research will investigate the global problem of plastic pollution from a social-ecological systems perspective.
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| 8. |
- Wassénius, Emmy, et al.
(författare)
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Creative destruction in academia : a time to reimagine practices in alignment with sustainability values
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sustainability Science. - : Springer Nature. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057. ; 18:6, s. 2769-2775
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Academia has experienced acceleration and expansion in parallel with the Great Acceleration, which has shaped the Anthropocene. Among other pressures, the expectation to be internationally mobile conflicts with many values held by sustainability scholars and results in disillusionment. The changes in the academic system can be seen through the framework of the adaptive cycle, which can help us understand historical parallels and shape the system to better align with sustainability values in future. We hope this piece can contribute to the discussion of the next steps forward to reimagine academia.
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| 9. |
- Österblom, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Scientific mobilization of keystone actors for biosphere stewardship
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The biosphere crisis requires changes to existing business practices. We ask how corporations can become sustainability leaders, when constrained by multiple barriers to collaboration for biosphere stewardship. We describe how scientists motivated, inspired and engaged with ten of the world’s largest seafood companies, in a collaborative process aimed to enable science-based and systemic transformations (2015–2021). CEOs faced multiple industry crises in 2015 that incentivized novel approaches. New scientific insights, an invitation to collaborate, and a bold vision of transformative change towards ocean stewardship, created new opportunities and direction. Co-creation of solutions resulted in new knowledge and trust, a joint agenda for action, new capacities, international recognition, formalization of an organization, increased policy influence, time-bound goals, and convergence of corporate change. Independently funded scientists helped remove barriers to cooperation, provided means for reflection, and guided corporate strategies and actions toward ocean stewardship. By 2021, multiple individuals exercised leadership and the initiative had transitioned from preliminary and uncomfortable conversations, to a dynamic, operational organization, with capacity to perform global leadership in the seafood industry. Mobilizing transformational agency through learning, collaboration, and innovation represents a cultural evolution with potential to redirect and accelerate corporate action, to the benefit of business, people and the planet.
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