Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health

The Lancet, Journal Year: 2015, Volume and Issue: 386(10007), P. 1973 - 2028

Published: July 16, 2015

Far-reaching changes to the structure and function of Earth's natural systems represent a growing threat human health. And yet, global health has mainly improved as these have gathered pace. What is explanation? As Commission, we are deeply concerned that explanation straightforward sobering: been mortgaging future generations realise economic development gains in present. By unsustainably exploiting nature's resources, civilisation flourished but now risks substantial effects from degradation life support future. Health environment including climatic change, ocean acidification, land degradation, water scarcity, overexploitation fisheries, biodiversity loss pose serious challenges past several decades likely become increasingly dominant during second half this century beyond. These striking trends driven by highly inequitable, inefficient, unsustainable patterns resource consumption technological development, together with population growth. We identify three categories be addressed maintain enhance face harmful environmental trends. Firstly, conceptual empathy failures (imagination challenges), such an over-reliance on gross domestic product measure progress, failure account for harms over present day gains, disproportionate effect those poor developing nations. Secondly, knowledge (research information address social drivers ill health, historical scarcity transdisciplinary research funding, unwillingness or inability deal uncertainty within decision making frameworks. Thirdly, implementation (governance how governments institutions delay recognition responses threats, especially when faced uncertainties, pooled common time lags between action effect. Although better evidence needed underpin appropriate policies than available at present, should not used excuse inaction. Substantial potential exists link reduce damage outcomes nations all levels development. This Commission identifies opportunities six key constituencies: professionals, funders academic community, UN Bretton Woods bodies, governments, investors corporate reporting civil society organisations. Depreciation capital subsidy accounted so economy nature falsely separated. Policies balance sustainability, economy. To world 9–10 billion people more, resilient food agricultural both undernutrition overnutrition, waste, diversify diets, minimise damage. Meeting need modern family planning can improve short term—eg, reduced maternal mortality pressures infrastructure. Planetary offers unprecedented opportunity advocacy national reforms taxes subsidies many sectors economy, energy, agriculture, water, Regional trade treaties act further incorporate protection near long term. Several essential steps taken transform planetary include reduction waste through creation products more durable require less energy materials manufacture often produced present; incentivisation recycling, reuse, repair; substitution hazardous safer alternatives. Key messages1The concept based understanding depend flourishing wise stewardship systems. However, being degraded extent history.2Environmental threats will characterised surprise uncertainty. Our societies clear potent dangers urgent transformative actions protect generations.3The governance organisation inadequate call aid integration social, economic, creation, synthesis, application interdisciplinary strengthen health.4Solutions lie reach redefinition prosperity focus enhancement quality delivery all, respect integrity endeavour necessitate change promoting sustainable equitable consumption, reducing growth, harnessing power technology change. 1The Despite limitations, Sustainable Development Goals provide great integrate sustainability judicious selection relevant indicators wellbeing, enabling infrastructure supporting systems, strong governance. The landscape, ecosystems, they contain managed indirectly, disease risk. Intact restored ecosystems contribute resilience (see panel 1 glossary terms report), example, coastal (eg, wave attenuation) ability floodplains greening river catchments flooding events diverting holding excess water.Panel 1GlossaryHolocene1International StratigraphyInternational stratigraphic chart.http://www.stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2013-01.pdfDate: 2013Google ScholarA geological epoch began about 11 700 years ago encompasses most period which humanity grown developed, its written history major civilisations.Anthropocene2Crutzen PJ Geology mankind.Nature. 2002; 415: 23Crossref PubMed Scopus (1931) Google ScholarThe proposed name new demarcated activities Anthropocene yet formally recognised dates put forward mark beginning.Ecosystem3Millennium Ecosystem AssessmentEcosystems wellbeing: synthesis.in: Corvalan C Hales S McMichael AJ Island Press, Washington DC2005Google dynamic complex plant, animal, microorganism communities non-living acting functional unit.Ecosystem services4UKNEAThe UK National Assessment: technical report. United Nations Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK2011Google benefits provided possible worth living. Examples ecosystem services clean regulation floods, soil erosion, outbreaks, non-material recreational spiritual areas. term usually encompass tangible intangible beings obtain sometimes separated into goods services.Biodiversity5Millennium AssessmentBiodiversity.in: Mace G Masundire H Baillie J Millennium assessment: current state trends: findings condition working group well-being. Washington, ScholarAn abbreviation biological diversity; means variability among living organisms sources, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, other aquatic ecological complexes part. includes diversity species, ecosystems.Wetland6RamsarConvention wetlands international importance waterfowl habitat 1971. Iran, Feb 2, amended protocol Dec 3, 1982, amendments May 28, 1987.http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=15398&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlGoogle Ramsar Convention defines “areas marsh, fen, peatland whether artificial, permanent temporary, static flowing, fresh, brackish salt, areas marine depth low tide does exceed metres”.Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)7IPCCClimate 2013. Physical Science Basis Working Group I contribution fifth assessment report Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change. Cambridge University Change, New York, USA2013Google ScholarRCPs trajectories concentrations greenhouse gases atmosphere consistent range emissions. For Fifth Assessment Report scientific community defined set four RCPs. They identified their approximate total radiative forcing (ie, warming effect) year 2100 relative 1750. RCP 8·5 pathway very high gas emissions, emissions line trends.Social–ecological systems8Stockholm Resilience CentreResilience dictionary.http://www.stockholmresilience.org/21/research/what-is-resilience/resilience-dictionary.htmlDate: 2015Google ScholarNatural do exist without cannot totally isolation nature. truly interconnected coevolve across spatial temporal scales.REDD+9UN-REDD ProgrammeAbout REDD+.http://www.un-redd.org/aboutreddDate: ScholarReducing Emissions Deforestation Forest Degradation (REDD) tries assign financial value carbon stored trees help countries invest low-carbon paths REDD+ added conservation, management forests, forest stocks.Externalities10Buchanan JM Stubblebine WC Externality.Economica. 1962; 29: 371-384Crossref benefit cost affects individual who did choose incur cost.Circular economy11European CommissionTowards circular economy: zero programme Europe.http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0398Date: 2014Google model decouples growth finite resources. Circular keep use possible, allow recycling end products, eliminate waste.State shift12Rocha JC Biggs R Peterson GD Regime shifts: what why matter?.http://www.regimeshifts.org/datasets-resources/Date: ScholarLarge, lasting social–ecological impacts systems.Resilience8Stockholm Scholar, 13Rodin dividend: where things go wrong. PublicAffairs, York2014Google Scholar“the capacity any entity—an individual, organization, system—to prepare disruptions, recover shocks stresses, adapt grow disruptive experience.” Holocene1International Scholar A civilisations. Anthropocene2Crutzen beginning. Ecosystem3Millennium unit. services. Biodiversity5Millennium An ecosystems. Wetland6RamsarConvention metres”. Representative RCPs Social–ecological Natural scales. REDD+9UN-REDD Reducing stocks. Externalities10Buchanan cost. waste. State Large, Resilience8Stockholm “the urban populations emphasises environment, air pollution, increased physical activity, provision green space, prevent sprawl decrease magnitude heat islands. Transdisciplinary expansion. Present limitations action. In situations deliver win–win solutions co-benefits, rapid scale-up achieved if researchers move ahead assess solutions. Recent investments towards non-linear shifts important, absence predictability changes, efforts adaptation strategies remain priority. integrated surveillance collect rigorous socioeconomic, data periods early detection emerging outbreaks nutrition non-communicable burden. improvement risk communication policy makers public make evidence-informed decisions helped systematic reviews briefs. professionals role achievement health: advance tackling inequities, increasing Humanity stewarded successfully 21st addressing unacceptable inequities wealth limits Earth, generation knowledge, policies, decisive action, inspirational leadership. metrics, today history. Life expectancy soared 47 1950–1955, 69 2005–2010. Death rates children younger 5 age worldwide decreased substantially 214 per thousand live births 1950–1955 59 2005–2010.14You D Hug L Chen Y Wardlaw T Newby Levels child mortality. Inter-agency Child Mortality Estimation, 15Population Division Department Economic Social Affairs SecretariatWorld prospects: 2012 revision. Nations, York2013Crossref Human supremely successful, staging “great escape” extreme deprivation 250 years.16Deaton escape: wealth, origins inequality. Princeton Princeton2013Google number poverty fallen 0·7 30 years, despite increase 2 billion.17Olinto P Beegle K Sobrado Uematsu poor: poor, harder end, profile world's poor? Bank, DC2013Google escape accompanied unparalleled advances care, education, rights legislation, brought benefits, albeit inequitably, humanity. Humanity's progress supported biophysical atmosphere, oceans, important wetlands, tundra constant climate, air, recycle nutrients nitrogen phosphorus, regulate cycle, giving freshwater drinking sanitation.3Millennium land, seas, rivers, plants animals contain, also direct benefits—chiefly food, fuel, timber, medicinal compounds (figure 1). Alongside agriculture industry success, Earth sustenance, shelter, energy—underpinning expansion civilisation.18Sukhdev Wittmer Schröter-Schlaack et al.Mainstreaming economics nature: synthesis approach, conclusions recommendations TEEB. Economics Ecosystems Biodiversity, Geneva2010Google achieve nutrition, 7 required affecting vital ways relied throughout history.19DeFries Foley JA Asner GP Land-use choices: balancing needs function.Front Ecol Environ. 2004; 2: 249-257Crossref essence, traded off supportive regulating processes feed fuel development.20Bennett EM Gordon LJ Understanding relationships multiple services.Ecol Lett. 2009; 12: 1394-1404Crossref (1166) scale alteration difficult overstate 2). converted third ice-free desert-free surface planet cropland pasture25Foley Monfreda Ramankutty N Zaks share pie.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2007; 104: 12585-12586Crossref (75) annually roughly accessible appropriated use.22Steffen W Broadgate Deutsch Gaffney O Ludwig trajectory Anthropocene: acceleration.The Review. 2015; 81-98Crossref Since 2000, cut down 2·3 million km2 primary forest.26Hansen MC Potapov PV Moore al.High-resolution maps 21st-century cover change.Science. 2013; 342: 850-853Crossref (4290) About 90% monitored fisheries harvested at, beyond, maximum yield limits.27FAOThe aquaculture—opportunities challenges. Food Agriculture Organization, Rome2014Google quest control dammed 60% rivers,28World DamsDams development: framework decision-making.http://www.unep.org/dams/WCD/report/WCD_DAMS%20report.pdfDate: November, 2000Google 0·5 km river.29Lehner B Liermann CR Revenga mapping reservoirs dams river-flow management.Front 2011; 9: 494-502Crossref (0) driving species extinction rate 100 times observed fossil record30Pimm SL Jenkins CN Abell al.The extinction, distribution, protection.Science. 2014; 344: 1246752Crossref (1212) remaining decreasing number. 2014 Living Planet Report24WWFLiving 2014: spaces, places. Wide Fund Nature, Gland, Switzerland2014Google estimates vertebrate have, average, had sizes 45 years. gases—carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide—are highest least 800 000 years.7IPCCClimate consequence actions, determinant conditions, rise epoch, (panel 1).2Crutzen 2005, landmark study (MEA) estimated examined, purification 2).3Millennium authors MEA warned planet's sustain no longer granted”.31Millennium AssessmentLiving beyond our means. assets Statement Board.in: Board Assessment, 2006, published WHO quarter burden was attributable modifiable factors.32Prüss-Üstün Corvalán Preventing healthy environments. Towards estimate disease.

Language: Английский

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Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 114(30)

Published: July 10, 2017

Significance The strong focus on species extinctions, a critical aspect of the contemporary pulse biological extinction, leads to common misimpression that Earth’s biota is not immediately threatened, just slowly entering an episode major biodiversity loss. This view overlooks current trends population declines and extinctions. Using sample 27,600 terrestrial vertebrate species, more detailed analysis 177 mammal we show extremely high degree decay in vertebrates, even “species low concern.” Dwindling sizes range shrinkages amount massive anthropogenic erosion ecosystem services essential civilization. “biological annihilation” underlines seriousness for humanity ongoing sixth mass extinction event.

Language: Английский

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Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 208, P. 15 - 28

Published: June 26, 2016

Language: Английский

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Rebuilding marine life

Nature, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 580(7801), P. 39 - 51

Published: April 1, 2020

Language: Английский

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Overfishing drives over one-third of all sharks and rays toward a global extinction crisis

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 31(21), P. 4773 - 4787.e8

Published: Sept. 6, 2021

The scale and drivers of marine biodiversity loss are being revealed by the International Union for Conservation Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment process. We present first global reassessment 1,199 species in Class Chondrichthyes-sharks, rays, chimeras. (in 2014) concluded that one-quarter (24%) were threatened. Now, 391 (32.6%) threatened with extinction. When this percentage threat is applied to Data Deficient species, more than one-third (37.5%) chondrichthyans estimated be threatened, much change resulting from new information. Three Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct), representing possibly fish extinctions due overfishing. Consequently, chondrichthyan extinction rate potentially 25 per million years, comparable terrestrial vertebrates. Overfishing universal affecting all sole 67.3% interacts three other threats remaining third: degradation habitat (31.2% species), climate (10.2%), pollution (6.9%). Species disproportionately tropical subtropical coastal waters. Science-based limits on fishing, effective protected areas, approaches reduce or eliminate fishing mortality urgently needed minimize ensure sustainable catch trade others. Immediate action essential prevent further protect potential food security ecosystem functions provided iconic lineage predators.

Language: Английский

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Greater vulnerability to warming of marine versus terrestrial ectotherms

Nature, Journal Year: 2019, Volume and Issue: 569(7754), P. 108 - 111

Published: April 24, 2019

Language: Английский

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Half a century of global decline in oceanic sharks and rays

Nature, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 589(7843), P. 567 - 571

Published: Jan. 27, 2021

Language: Английский

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Multiple Stressors in a Changing World: The Need for an Improved Perspective on Physiological Responses to the Dynamic Marine Environment

Annual Review of Marine Science, Journal Year: 2015, Volume and Issue: 8(1), P. 357 - 378

Published: Sept. 11, 2015

Abiotic conditions (e.g., temperature and pH) fluctuate through time in most marine environments, sometimes passing intensity thresholds that induce physiological stress. Depending on habitat season, the peak of different abiotic stressors can occur or out phase with one another. Thus, some organisms are exposed to multiple simultaneously, whereas others experience them sequentially. Understanding these physicochemical dynamics is critical because how respond depends magnitude relative timing each stressor. Here, we first discuss broad patterns covariation between systems at various temporal scales. We then describe will influence responses multi-stressor exposures. Finally, summarize effects currently assessed. find experiments have rarely incorporated naturalistic variation into their designs, emphasize importance doing so make ecologically relevant inferences about global change.

Language: Английский

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Marine reserves can mitigate and promote adaptation to climate change

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 114(24), P. 6167 - 6175

Published: June 5, 2017

Strong decreases in greenhouse gas emissions are required to meet the reduction trajectory resolved within 2015 Paris Agreement. However, even these will not avert serious stress and damage life on Earth, additional steps needed boost resilience of ecosystems, safeguard their wildlife, protect capacity supply vital goods services. We discuss how well-managed marine reserves may help ecosystems people adapt five prominent impacts climate change: acidification, sea-level rise, intensification storms, shifts species distribution, decreased productivity oxygen availability, as well cumulative effects. explore role managed mitigating change by promoting carbon sequestration storage buffering against uncertainty management, environmental fluctuations, directional change, extreme events. highlight both strengths limitations conclude that a viable low-tech, cost-effective adaptation strategy would yield multiple cobenefits from local global scales, improving outlook for environment into future.

Language: Английский

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The Blue Acceleration: The Trajectory of Human Expansion into the Ocean

One Earth, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 2(1), P. 43 - 54

Published: Jan. 1, 2020

Does humanity's future lie in the ocean? As demand for resources continues to grow and land-based sources decline, expectations ocean as an engine of human development are increasing. Claiming marine space is not new humanity, but extent, intensity, diversity today's aspirations unprecedented. We describe this blue acceleration—a race among diverse often competing interests food, material, space. Exploring what reality means global how steer it a sustainable equitable way represents urgent challenge.

Language: Английский

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