Breaking Boundaries - Land System Change

Part of the series ‘Planetary Boundaries’ 

All over the globe, forests, grasslands, wetlands and other vegetation types are converted to primarily agricultural use. Each instance of land cover change takes place on a local scale, but the aggregate effects can have global repercussions for Earth’s system processes. Today’s lecture will elaborate on the tipping points for land system change.

Yes, I want to join!
Learning activity

Breaking Boundaries - Land System Change

  • Get to know what the global impacts of land system change are 
  • Find out what the tipping points are for land use 
  • Learn about the linked dynamics of land use and the climate 

Land-use change is one of the factors contributing to the reduction of biodiversity, as well as affecting water flows and the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. A boundary for human changes to land systems needs to reflect not just the absolute quantity of land, but also its function, quality and spatial distribution. Land system change is closely linked to forest dynamics, which is why forests are at the center of the boundary between land use and climate. 

Breaking Boundaries

During the academic year 2022-2023, the New Energy Academy will elaborate on the nine planetary boundaries. Inspired by the documentary ‘Breaking Boundaries’ from Sir David Attenborough and Johan Rockström, the New Energy Academy brings you more insights about sustainability and shows you what is needed to become a sustainable and nature-inclusive society. You can find the documentary on Netflix.

Image: J. Lokrantz/Azote based on Steffen et al. 2015.

  • Thu 10 November
  • 15:00 - 16:00 (CET)
  • Online
Yes, I want to join!

Karina Winkler

PhD candidate at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)