Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Volker Mosbrugger
Direktor von GRADE und Generaldirektor der Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
Sustainability, Planetary Boundary Conditions and One Health – a critical evaluation of conflicting geoengineering concepts
Mankind has become a dominant factor in earth system dynamics influencing virtually all natural processes. By exploiting our limited natural capital we severely impact our own species and future: Climate warming, natural desasters, biodiversity loss, shortage of all kinds of natural resources, environmental and economic refugees, environmental pollution – these are only some of the major anthropocene challenges. How can we handle these problems, how should we shape and engineer our earth system? The objective is clear to most of us and well defined by Hans Jonas’ (1903-1993)„ecological imperative“: „Act so that the effects of your action are consistent with permanent and genuine human life on earth“. How to achieve this objective is a matter of debate and several conceptual frameworks exist, only three of which will be critically assessed here. Sustainability is by far the most common systemic concept linking ecological, economic and societal (includig cultural) dimensions. More recently, the less ambitious notion of „planetary boundary conditions“ defining a „safe operating space for humanity“ has become popular in politics. In contrast, the „One Health“ concept, addressing the health of humans, of their environments, domestic animals and cultivated plants, is probably the most demanding and most adequate approach to guarantee permanent and genuine human life on earth.