For society to develop sustainably, understanding planetary boundaries is acornerstone in planning and developing policy instruments. There are also largesynergies between environmental objectives and other societal goals. The Swedishgenerational goal states that “The overall goal of Swedish environmental policyis to hand over to the next generation a society in which the major environmentalproblems in Sweden have been solved, without increasing environmental andhealth problems outside of Sweden’s borders.”The planetary boundary framework was introduced in 2009 and consists ofproposed boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive,known as a “safe operating space”. This report looks deeper into planetary boundariesfrom a Swedish perspective to point to footprints in the Swedish share of planetaryboundaries, to compare with earlier and adjacent results, and to introduce adiscussion on prerequisites and indicators for Sweden.Different principles can show the way when analysing the Swedish safe operatingspace in relation to the planetary boundaries. Depending on the starting point– equality, needs, right to development, sovereignty, or ability – we come to a varietyof answers. This can broaden the perspectives of what a safe operating spacemight be. This report uses a mix of these principles to come to a median valuewhile also illustrating the zone of uncertainty. With the aim to point to footprintsin the Swedish share, this report then uses European footprint results and estimatesrough values for Sweden. When these different perspectives are taken intoaccount, in the final results only freshwater use is within the estimated Swedishshare of safe operating space.The four planetary boundaries in focus for these analyses – biogeochemicalflows (both nitrogen cycle and phosphorus cycle), land system change, and freshwateruse – are strongly driven by the food system. The European Green Dealmentions transformation of production and consumption systems like energy,food, mobility and the built environment. These systems rely on the same naturalresources, which means that policy interventions may generate both synergiesand trade-offs across natural resources.Transforming a system is preferably guided by a systemic approach. Thismeans policy development needs to address different levels and to follow up onprogress with indicators that can capture the complexity of the issue. The frameworkfor monitoring the environmental impacts linked to Swedish consumption,both inside and outside of Sweden’s borders, developed by the PRINCE project isone important approach, as well as looking further into footprints in relation toplanetary boundaries.Results indicate that from a social perspective Sweden has a strong platformfrom which to intensify sustainable transformation. The generational goal encourageus to not increase environmental and health problems outside of Sweden’sborders. The PRINCE project lets us see where our footprints are geographicallysituated. Social indicators then allow us to find whether these areas are withintheir social boundaries. This creates an opportunity to look deeper into how oursociety should be organised for a sustainable and just transition.
Informed decisions need knowledge that can tell us more about the direct andindirect interconnections between different natural resources, their management,use and governance, and synergies and trade-offs. Findings can highlight knowledgegaps and imbalances in policy focus, increasing the systemic understandingof sustainability challenges and responses. This report shows examples of analysesfrom a systems perspective, with a focus on consumption footprints and analysesfrom the viewpoint of planetary boundaries.The Swedish Riksdag has decided to work for sustainable development in allthree dimensions and to integrate that work in existing processes. Further understandingof what impact our consumption has on Earth’s resources can serve toinspire priorities in policy development. Discussions on “what is a good life” andwhat a possible sustainable life could look like are important steps along the way.
Stockholm: Naturvårdsverket, 2023. , p. 45