Exploring the Linkages Between
the Environmental Sustainable
Development Goals and Planetary
Boundaries Using the DPSIR Impact
Pathway Framework
Chanjief Chandrakumar and Sarah J. McLaren
Abstract Most of the conventional environmental sustainability assessment
methods, such as Life Cycle Assessment and environmental footprints, evaluate
economic goods and services in terms of the nature or the function of the studied
systems. As such, these methods overlook the variations in the overall magnitude of
production and consumption patterns for the examined systems. As a result, the
progress achieved in mitigating global environmental problems is likely to be slow
and may be insignificant. Hence this study explores the interlinkages between the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Planetary Boundaries (PBs) using an
DPSIR (Drivers-Pressures-State of the Environment-Impacts-Responses) impact
pathway framework—in support of developing an absolute sustainability assessment method (ASAM). The study demonstrates that there is a substantial overlap
between the SDGs and PBs. The science-based thresholds listed in the PBs can
therefore be adopted as a complementary set of environmental boundaries for the
SDG indicators. Overall, the study lays the foundation for advancing an ASAM that
can guide policy- and decision-makers to operationalize the SDGs effectively.
1 Introduction
The Planetary Boundaries (PBs) concept was introduced by Rockström and his
associates [1], and was updated by Steffen et al. [2]. Rockström et al. proposed nine
critical Earth system processes and associated control variables and thresholds,
claiming that transgressing any of the thresholds would potentially be devastating
C. Chandrakumar (&)
New Zealand Life Cycle Management Centre, School of Agriculture
and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
e-mail: C.Chandrakumar@massey.ac.nz
S. J. McLaren
School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University,
Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_46
413
the Environmental Sustainable
Development Goals and Planetary
Boundaries Using the DPSIR Impact
Pathway Framework
Chanjief Chandrakumar and Sarah J. McLaren
Abstract Most of the conventional environmental sustainability assessment
methods, such as Life Cycle Assessment and environmental footprints, evaluate
economic goods and services in terms of the nature or the function of the studied
systems. As such, these methods overlook the variations in the overall magnitude of
production and consumption patterns for the examined systems. As a result, the
progress achieved in mitigating global environmental problems is likely to be slow
and may be insignificant. Hence this study explores the interlinkages between the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Planetary Boundaries (PBs) using an
DPSIR (Drivers-Pressures-State of the Environment-Impacts-Responses) impact
pathway framework—in support of developing an absolute sustainability assessment method (ASAM). The study demonstrates that there is a substantial overlap
between the SDGs and PBs. The science-based thresholds listed in the PBs can
therefore be adopted as a complementary set of environmental boundaries for the
SDG indicators. Overall, the study lays the foundation for advancing an ASAM that
can guide policy- and decision-makers to operationalize the SDGs effectively.
1 Introduction
The Planetary Boundaries (PBs) concept was introduced by Rockström and his
associates [1], and was updated by Steffen et al. [2]. Rockström et al. proposed nine
critical Earth system processes and associated control variables and thresholds,
claiming that transgressing any of the thresholds would potentially be devastating
C. Chandrakumar (&)
New Zealand Life Cycle Management Centre, School of Agriculture
and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
e-mail: C.Chandrakumar@massey.ac.nz
S. J. McLaren
School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University,
Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_46
413