ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the roots of the framework ‘planetary boundaries’ and discusses the different debates surrounding its use. The planetary boundaries framework is meant to support global sustainability and development endeavours by providing assumed thresholds beyond which large-scale, comparatively sudden environmental changes will produce major problems. Critics of planetary boundaries tend to highlight three linked issues: concerns about the framework’s technicalities, omissions, and poor engagement with previous and ongoing literature. The chapter also provides examples on how to teach the framework and describes the limited use so far of the framework in shaping policy and practice.
