DOI
DOI: 10.1126/science.1258832

Summary
Global sustainability challenges, from maintaining biodiversity to providing clean air and
water, are closely interconnected yet often separately studied and managed. Systems
integration—holistic approaches to integrating various components of coupled human
and natural systems—is critical to understand socioeconomic and environmental
interconnections and to create sustainability solutions. Recent advances include the
development and quantification of integrated frameworks that incorporate ecosystem
services, environmental footprints, planetary boundaries, human-nature nexuses, and
telecoupling. Although systems integration has led to fundamental discoveries and
practical applications, further efforts are needed to incorporate more human and natural
components simultaneously, quantify spillover systems and feedbacks, integrate multiple
spatial and temporal scales, develop new tools, and translate findings into policy and
practice. Such efforts can help address important knowledge gaps, link seemingly
unconnected challenges, and inform policy and management decisions.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
The article provides a good introduction to various ways of interconnecting social and natural systems as coupled systems. The article argues for the need of such a scientific approach. It takes stock of previous attempts to create framework for coupled systems, such as ecosystems services, ecological footprints, and planetary boundaries. From there the article continues to discuss the approach of human-nature nexuses, eher it finds that most succh attempts focus on a few components. The argument against that is that are more components are required to do better nexus studies. From the global perspective the article introduces ways of taking telecoupling into account, thus looking for interconnections over larger spatial scales. It goes on to apply these ideas to the cases of biofuel and virtual water. The article concludes by pointing at future directions with the need to incorporate more human and natural components simultaneously, identify and quantify spillover systems and to develop and use new tools. Finally findings from these approaches must be translated into policy and practice.

Point of Strength
This article could be a valuable introduction on a course covering coupled systems. The arguments it makes are also imperative for the entire work of the COSY thi9nking project, especiall as it comes to the development ofand use of new and existing tools for analysis of complexity and systems.