This chapter describes the continued, still ongoing, trajectory of the Planetary Boundaries (PB) framework and how it has co-evolved with the “Anthropocene,” another concept with Stockholm roots. During the course of the second decade of the new century, ethical aspects were increasingly taken on board. Will Steffen, former Director of the Stockholm-based International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP), was the lead author of a second PB article in Science in 2015. Like the first Nature article in 2009, a sizable share of the co-authors had institutional involvement or other affiliation with Stockholm. This new iteration developed the ethical challenges of sharing the “safe operating space” inside boundaries among regions, nations, and societal groups. Steffen was also a member of the Anthropocene Working Group appointed by the Stratigraphic Committee to make the case for Anthropocene as a new geological era. The chapter articulates the significance of the overlap between the PB and Anthropocene processes and debates. These drew considerable interest from scholars in the social sciences and humanities, which helped make both issues concerns of epistemology and Weltanschauung.

Chapter 8 elaborates further on the public policies needed for “greening” economic activity and promoting better stewardship of the environment. The focus is primarily on strategies that governments might adopt to achieve economy-wide green transformation for more efficient, sustainable and inclusive development. The chapter explores what these short- and long-term policy efforts will look like, providing examples from both major economies and low- and middle-income countries. At the center is ending the underpricing of nature to unleash the economic potential of green developments for generating economy-wide innovation and prosperity, and more equitable income and wealth distribution.