Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
13:48
Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
Planetary stewardship in an urbanizing world: beyond city limits
Sybil P Seitzinger1, Uno Svedin, Carole L Crumley
1International Geosphere Biosphere Programme, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden. sybil.seitzinger@igbp.kva.se
Ambio
|October 19, 2012
Summary
Cities significantly impact Earth systems and rely on global resources. A connected global system of cities and rural areas is crucial for planetary stewardship and resource security.
Area of Science:
- Urban ecology
- Earth system science
- Sustainability science
Background:
- Cities are increasingly vital Earth system components, supporting over half the global population.
- Urban resource consumption extends far beyond city limits, impacting distant rural and natural environments.
- Isolated urban sustainability assessments are insufficient given global resource interdependencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical role of cities in global environmental and social challenges.
- To propose a framework for planetary stewardship involving interconnected urban and rural systems.
- To explore how coordinated urban-rural policies can enhance global sustainability and resource security.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of urban-rural resource flows and impacts.
- Review of global environmental and social challenges.
- Exploration of governance models for planetary stewardship.
Main Results:
- Cities are major drivers of Earth system change, necessitating global responsibility.
- Interconnected urban-rural systems are essential for sustainable resource management.
- Cooperative city networks can bolster planetary stewardship and resource security.
Conclusions:
- Planetary stewardship requires a global system of cities acting in concert with non-urban areas.
- Enhanced cooperation and connectivity between cities and rural regions can drive global change.
- A systemic approach to urban-rural sustainability is key to addressing complex global challenges.
Related Concept Videos
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
01:43Sustainable Development
As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.
01:24Biodiversity and Human Values
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
01:26Design Example: Sustainability in Concrete Building
As the construction industry moves towards more eco-friendly practices, concrete's adaptability and its ability to incorporate sustainable features make it a key material in the drive towards greener building solutions.
There are multiple approaches to achieve sustainability in a commercial concrete building. For instance, construct a concrete parking area under the building, utilizing pervious concrete paver blocks in open areas to facilitate rainwater collection through an underground cistern.
There are multiple approaches to achieve sustainability in a commercial concrete building. For instance, construct a concrete parking area under the building, utilizing pervious concrete paver blocks in open areas to facilitate rainwater collection through an underground cistern.
01:21Dimensions of Health and Illness
The factors influencing the health-illness continuum can be internal or external and may or may not be under conscious control. They are related to the following eight human dimensions, and each dimension is interrelated to one other.
01:50Global Climate Change
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.