Authors from academic institutions, including the University of Exeter Business School, are publishing critical knowledge gaps for researchers to help cities and businesses operate within the limits of the Earth system. Nature.

This comes ahead of an Earth Commission report due next year outlining the extent of the “Earth System Boundary” (ESB) based on the latest science, modeling and literature review.

A decade ago, scientists predicted that humans could “safely” operate in nine areas: climate change, the biosphere, nutrients, water, land use, ocean acidification, ozone layer depletion, aerosols, and the presence of new species. Defined a set of planetary boundaries. The soon-to-be-defined ESB will add a social justice dimension to ensure that the quantified boundaries are ‘fair’ and ‘safe’.

Researchers will identify what cities and businesses must do to keep the world within the ESB, assessing the sharing of responsibilities against the global budget for carbon, water, nutrients, land and other natural resources. I argue that we need to develop methods to help and set goals to protect them.

The authors advocate ‘science-based goals’, arguing that goals must be ‘measurable, actionable, and time-bound’, and suggesting that cities and companies currently setting science-based goals There are very few, pointing only to the top 200 cities with the highest emissions. 110 countries have “net zero” pledges in line with the Paris Agreement.

Xuemei Bai, lead author, Distinguished Professor, Fenner School of Environmental and Social Studies, Australian National University, and member of the Earth Commission, said: And socially just ways of allocating natural resources and responsibilities are essential to respecting them.

“Cities and businesses are key contributors to planetary-level change, but they also play an important role in solutions. There are gaps and our recommendations seek to fill those gaps.”

Co-author Gail Whiteman, Professor of Sustainability at the University of Exeter Business School, said: , corporate and city goals are siloed.An important next step is for initiatives such as the International Sustainability Standards Commission and the Science-Based Goals Network to unite ESBs and encourage joint action. “

Co-author Johan Rockström, co-chair of the Earth Commission and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said: “The boundaries of the Earth system are linked, so goals need to be aligned. Domain-focused measures are either beneficial or harmful to others.

“Climate change, for example, relies on terrestrial processes such as methane emissions from thawing permafrost and weakened carbon uptake by deforestation. Several pressure points combine to reach tipping points faster. can.”

Co-author Syil Kurkush, Senior Research Fellow at the Turkish Council for Scientific and Technological Research, said: 360 of the top 500 emitters.

“Across domains, more than 50% of these cities and companies are located in water-stressed areas such as Mexico City, Santiago, Beijing, Madrid, New Delhi, Rome, Istanbul, Turkey and Phoenix, Arizona.”

Co-author Anders Bjørn, a postdoctoral fellow at the Technical University of Denmark, said: It is more important than national pledges and requires more action from policy makers at many levels. We must step up and do our part to protect the boundaries of the Earth system.

Erin Billman, Executive Director, Science Based Targets Network, said: Freshwater, land, sea and biodiversity. “

The authors highlight seven recommendations for researchers aiming to transform ESBs into tangible steps for cities and companies.

1. Development of common procedures

Principles and procedures should be developed to clarify methods, indicators, assumptions and uncertainties. Without such clarity, cities and businesses may seek to minimize their liability and maximize the resources they claim. Powerful actors can have undue influence.

2. Focus on interactions

Since the boundaries of the Earth system are linked, we need to coordinate our targets. For example, climate change depends on land processes, from methane emissions from thawing permafrost to weakened carbon uptake by deforestation. Researchers should identify key activities across multiple her ESBs and assess what targeting them can achieve.

3. Recognize the dynamics

Most goals focus on a specific date, such as 2030 or 2050. But the route is important. For example, a linear reduction in carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 would do less warming than keeping it high for the next decade and then a steep decline. Researchers need to develop an agile approach of time-sensitive and dynamic goal setting that allows regular checks, adjustments, and updates.

4. Distribute for justice and fairness

Goals should reflect socioeconomic conditions such as income and consumption levels, environmental impacts and behavioral capacities. For example, cities with higher levels of consumption and higher past emissions and incomes will arguably have to adopt tougher targets than others.

5. Support oversight and accountability

Much work needs to be done to support oversight and accountability. Initiatives such as the new International Sustainability Standards Board are working with interdisciplinary scientists to ensure that the proposed Global Baseline of Sustainability-Related Disclosure Standards explicitly links cities and companies to ESBs. We recommend that you check An independent audit system is also required.

6. Establish governance mechanisms

New policies and regulations will be needed to encourage or require cities and businesses to adopt the targets. One approach is to recognize each ESB domain as a global commons. On climate change, the United Nations may launch an intergovernmental panel to urge governments to require large cities and companies to set science-based targets. There is no guarantee that this will solve the problem, but it will put the ESB on the policy agenda.

7. Incentive design

Widespread adoption of science-based target setting by cities and businesses is essential. These targets can encourage and incentivize governments to follow suit. You can publish quality trademarks for your products and services, such as “Kitemarks” and positive labels, to raise awareness and encourage others. Financial incentives need to be expanded and expanded.

“How to stop cities and companies that harm the planet” by the authors of the Australian National University, the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Exeter Business School, the Turkish Council for Scientific and Technological Research, the University of Graz, the University of Potsdam, and the Earth Commission of the University of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is published in Nature.