Democratising Planetary Boundaries

This research paper examines the compatibility of the planetary boundaries framework with democratic decision-making in earth system governance, proposing a deliberative approach to balance expert scientific warnings with democratic legitimacy.

• The planetary boundaries framework establishes values for earth-system processes, including biodiversity and climate change, to maintain a 'safe' distance from thresholds that might threaten human well-being. However, critics argue the framework suggests an expert-led governance model for global environmental risks that lacks democratic legitimacy.
• The author argues that planetary boundaries can align with democratic decision-making through the use of iterative and dialogic processes. These processes would allow experts, policy-makers, and citizens to collaborate in formulating boundaries and negotiating targets, creating a democratically legitimate division of labour for managing earth-system risks.
• A successful division of evaluative labour requires a balance between allowing deliberative contestation regarding the value judgments involved in responding to earth-system risks and protecting the capacity of experts to issue warnings about risks they deem unacceptable.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2019). Democratising Planetary Boundaries. https://www.sei.org/publications/democratising-planetary-boundaries/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Democratising Planetary Boundaries. 2019. https://www.sei.org/publications/democratising-planetary-boundaries/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Democratising Planetary Boundaries |date=5 November 2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/democratising-planetary-boundaries/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2019democratising, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Democratising Planetary Boundaries}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/democratising-planetary-boundaries/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }