{
  "abstract": "We formulate planetary sustainability as a minimal nonequilibrium problem for coupled finite stocks and fluxes, using the operational language of closed life-support systems: inventories, flux balances, recycling efficiencies, processing capacities, reserve times and failure thresholds. Rather than asserting that waste is universally more limiting than resources, we propose a reserve-time principle: the binding constraint is whichever buffer becomes critical first. A nonlinear model coupling a regenerative resource stock, an accumulated waste stock and an activity variable exhibits a soft threshold, where waste suppresses growth while processing remains formally capable, and a hard threshold, where waste production exceeds maximal processing capacity. With immediate waste feedback, activity settles globally at the soft threshold; the hard threshold is crossed only transiently or under exogenous forcing. A resource-side threshold completes the picture. We extend the model to recycling and to multiple resource and waste classes, give a numerical example, situate the four-function description of life against the origin of life, viruses and aging, contrast the biosphere's two long-term failure modes, and relate the approach to Spaceship Earth, planetary boundaries, Limits to Growth, System Dynamics and stock-pollution economics.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2608.21505",
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Jean-Pierre Gazeau"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6c7e57nmr29gt.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2608.21505",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6c7e57nmr29gt",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05708180v5",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.stat-mech"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.bio-ph"
    ],
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      "arxiv",
      "physics.soc-ph"
    ],
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      "hal",
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      "hal",
      "1.phys.cond"
    ],
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      "1.phys.phys"
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      "2.phys.phys.phys-soc-ph"
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  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05708180/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-07-22",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6c7e57nmr29gt.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:57Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05708180",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05708180v5"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:29:31Z",
      "native_id": "2608.21505",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.21505"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.bio-ph",
      "subfield": "biological-medical"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "hal:1.phys.cond",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.stat-mech",
      "subfield": "statistical-nonlinear"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Earth as a Closed Life-Support System",
  "title_text": "Earth as a Closed Life-Support System",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:29:31Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6c7e57nmr29gt",
  "venue": "HAL",
  "versions": []
}