Sustainability. Systems integration for global sustainability

Science. 2015 Feb 27;347(6225):1258832. doi: 10.1126/science.1258832.

Authors

Jianguo Liu¹, Harold Mooney², Vanessa Hull³, Steven J Davis⁴, Joanne Gaskell⁵, Thomas Hertel⁶, Jane Lubchenco⁷, Karen C Seto⁸, Peter Gleick⁹, Claire Kremen¹⁰, Shuxin Li³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. liuji@msu.edu.
² Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
³ Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
⁴ Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
⁵ World Bank, Washington, DC, USA.
⁶ Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
⁷ Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
⁸ School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁹ The Pacific Institute, Oakland, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

PMID: 25722418
DOI: 10.1126/science.1258832

Abstract

Global sustainability challenges, from maintaining biodiversity to providing clean air and water, are closely interconnected yet often separately studied and managed. Systems integration—holistic approaches to integrating various components of coupled human and natural systems—is critical to understand socioeconomic and environmental interconnections and to create sustainability solutions. Recent advances include the development and quantification of integrated frameworks that incorporate ecosystem services, environmental footprints, planetary boundaries, human-nature nexuses, and telecoupling. Although systems integration has led to fundamental discoveries and practical applications, further efforts are needed to incorporate more human and natural components simultaneously, quantify spillover systems and feedbacks, integrate multiple spatial and temporal scales, develop new tools, and translate findings into policy and practice. Such efforts can help address important knowledge gaps, link seemingly unconnected challenges, and inform policy and management decisions.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Biodiversity*
Biofuels
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Earth, Planet
Endangered Species
Environmental Pollution*
Humans
Socioeconomic Factors
Systems Integration*
Ursidae

Substances

Biofuels