What is the Critical Zone?

The Critical Zone developed from multiple scientific disciplines as a way to address how little we actually know of the complex interactions between the living and non-living agents. The Critical Zone can be defined by the zone enveloping the planet Earth that stretches approximately 8 km from its top (which really is the tree line on mountains where trees stop growing) to the reaches in the ocean and groundwater. This is the arena that all life as we know it has occurred. Humans have a tendency to fly all over the Universe in their minds, but in actuality, all humans have lived out their lives in this 8 km wide Critical Zone. As Bruno Latour has called for: it is time for humans to land back on Earth and pay attention to the way we humans have seen the Earth (and life and other humans) as something to exploit and come to live within the Critical Zone as if our life depended on it, which it does. The Critical Zone is really not a place, but more the sum total of the infinite interactions between all the agents involved in life.

Want to find out more about the Critical Zone?

There are many books out that discuss the climate issue. I strongly recommend a few to read:

Down to Earth by Bruno Latour- a rich discussion about how human politics driven by the New Climate Regime needs to transform to landing back on earth.

Facing Gaia by Bruno Latour- a series of lectures given addressing the complexity of climate changes and human needs, including the spiritual.

Critical Zones edited by Bruno Latour and Peter Weibel- the catalog of artistic approaches to understanding the Critical Zone and its multiple manifestations of zones. Exhibition website.

Gaia by James Lovelock- a classic that redefined how to see our zone of life.

Websites

Stockholm Resilience Center- the heart of all the work defining the fundamental elements crucial to sustaining life as we know it. This is defined by the Planetary Boundaries that this center coordinated. Fundamental to understanding the physical limits of the Critical Zone.

Donut Economics- developed in conjunction with the Planetary Boundaries, Kate Raworth developed an economic program that is for the resilience of human existence in the limits of planetary boundaries.

Critical Zone Observatories- a project of the National Science Foundation of the US. Very particular definitions of the Critical Zone. Great place to begin.