• Issue

    Earth's Future: Volume 8, Issue 2

    February 2020
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Issue Information

Open Access

Issue Information

  • First Published: 05 February 2020

Commentaries

Open Access

Advancing the Understanding of Adaptive Capacity of Social-Ecological Systems to Absorb Climate Extremes

Kirsten Thonicke,  Michael Bahn,  Sandra Lavorel,  Richard D. Bardgett,  Karlheinz Erb,  Mariasilvia Giamberini,  Markus Reichstein,  Björn Vollan,  Anja Rammig, 
  • First Published: 08 January 2020
Key Points

  • Climate extremes impact the resilience of social-ecological systems; their adaptation requires knowledge on ecological and social mechanisms
  • Relevant ecological and social variables document the impact of climate extremes on the coupling flows, enabling management options
  • Three challenges remain to advance our understanding on adapting social-ecological systems for a resilient and sustainable future

Open Access

The Environmental Footprint of Transport by Car Using Renewable Energy

Bunyod Holmatov,  Arjen Y. Hoekstra, 
  • First Published: 31 January 2020
Key Points

  • Switching to alternative transport fuels entail land and water tradeoffs
  • Solar-powered electric cars have the smallest environmental footprints per km
  • Biofuel driven cars have the largest environmental footprints per km

Research Articles

Open Access

The Climatic Effects of Hygroscopic Growth of Sulfate Aerosols in the Stratosphere

K.S. Krishnamohan,  Govindasamy Bala,  Long Cao,  Lei Duan,  Ken Caldeira, 
  • First Published: 08 January 2020
Key Points

  • The effects of hygroscopic growth of sulfate aerosols in stratospheric aerosol geoengineering are investigated
  • A specified mass of sulfates is more efficient in cooling the climate when they reside in the lower stratosphere due to hygroscopic growth
  • Hygroscopic growth can provide ~20% additional cooling when sulfates are used to offset warming from a doubling of CO2

Open Access

Integrating the Water Planetary Boundary With Water Management From Local to Global Scales

Samuel C. Zipper,  Fernando Jaramillo,  Lan Wang-Erlandsson,  Sarah E. Cornell,  Tom Gleeson,  Miina Porkka,  Tiina Häyhä,  Anne-Sophie Crépin,  Ingo Fetzer,  Dieter Gerten,  Holger Hoff,  Nathanial Matthews,  Constanza Ricaurte-Villota,  Matti Kummu,  Yoshihide Wada,  Line Gordon, 
  • First Published: 08 January 2020
Key Points

  • Local and regional water management responds to and is influenced by global water cycle processes
  • The planetary boundaries framework is useful for reconciling local and global water sustainability goals
  • The framework can be applied at scales including nations, watersheds, aquifers, or commercial entities

Open Access

Capping Human Water Footprints in the World's River Basins

Rick J. Hogeboom,  Davey de Bruin,  Joep F. Schyns,  Maarten S. Krol,  Arjen Y. Hoekstra, 
  • First Published: 12 January 2020
Key Points

  • Overexploitation of freshwater resources shows humanity's current inability to live within the means of the planet in terms of water use
  • We propose setting water footprint caps per river basin to ensure human water appropriation remains within ecological boundaries
  • We relate local and time-specific water footprint caps to the planetary boundary for freshwater use

Open Access

Agricultural Development and Land Use Change in India: A Scenario Analysis of Trade-Offs Between UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

R. Hinz,  T. B. Sulser,  R. Huefner,  D. Mason-D’Croz,  S. Dunston,  S. Nautiyal,  C. Ringler,  J. Schuengel,  P. Tikhile,  F. Wimmer,  R. Schaldach, 
  • First Published: 15 January 2020
Key Points

  • There are trade-offs between SDGs related to food provision, climate change mitigation, and preservation of biodiversity in India
  • Further agricultural intensification is required to help ensure food security and to slow the expansion of cropland and pasture in India
  • Intensification efforts for agricultural production should be joined with specific measures to minimize biodiversity losses

Open Access

Climate Assessment Moves Local

K. J. Holmes,  B. A. Wender,  R. Weisenmiller,  P. Doughman,  M. Kerxhalli-Kleinfield, 
  • First Published: 16 January 2020
Key Points

  • State and local governments and others are taking an increasingly significant role in climate impact assessment
  • Such assessments present analytical challenges from downscaling national models, simulating extremes, and integrating local perspectives
  • The evolution of California's assessments, in its fourth iteration, reflects the demands for climate assessments to translate science into response activities