A groundbreaking study released on Wednesday has pointed out that human activities and desires have significantly eroded the Earth’s capacity to withstand stress, pushing it far beyond the “safe operating limits” required to sustain life for most species, including our own. A team of 29 scientists from around the world has determined that six out of nine critical planetary boundaries have already entered a dangerous state. These include climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, synthetic chemicals (including plastics), freshwater depletion, and nitrogen use. Two of the remaining three boundaries, which are ocean acidification and the concentration of particle pollution and dust in the atmosphere, are perilously close to crossing their safe thresholds, with only ozone depletion remaining comfortably within acceptable limits.
Katherine Richardson, a professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Globe Institute and the lead author of the study, emphasized that these planetary boundaries are crucial for maintaining the conditions that have sustained life on Earth over the last 10,000 years, coinciding with the development of humanity and modern civilization.
This study marks the second significant update of the concept, first introduced in 2009 when only global warming, extinction rates, and nitrogen levels had exceeded their prescribed limits. Johan Rockstrom, co-author of the study and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, expressed grave concern about the current trajectory, stating, “We are still moving in the wrong direction,” and that there are no signs of any of the boundaries, except for the ozone layer, showing improvement. He further warned that this trend is jeopardizing the Earth’s stability and resilience.
The study provides quantified limits for all nine interconnected facets of the Earth’s system. For example, in terms of biodiversity, the acceptable rate of species extinction is no more than ten times the average rate of extinction over the last 10 million years. However, in reality, species are disappearing at least 100 times faster than this background rate and ten times faster than the planetary boundary limit.
Regarding climate change, the threshold is tied to the concentration of atmospheric CO2, which remained relatively stable at around 280 parts per million for over 10,000 years before the industrial revolution. Today, the CO2 concentration stands at 417 parts per million, far exceeding the safe limit of 350 parts per million. Rockstrom warned that we are on a path leading to a disastrous temperature increase of 2.5 to 2.7 degrees Celsius, a condition that humans have not experienced for the past four million years.
The study also highlights the impact of thousands of human-made chemical compounds on the environment, such as microplastics, pesticides, nuclear waste, and pharmaceuticals, which were found to surpass safe limits. Furthermore, it addresses the depletion of both “green” and “blue” water, referring to freshwater from soil and plants, as well as rivers and lakes, which is being extracted excessively.
One critical discovery from this update is that these planetary boundaries are interconnected and can amplify each other’s effects. For instance, the study explores the interplay between rising CO2 levels and the destruction of forests, predicting temperature increases when one or both factors escalate. Even if humanity significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, failure to halt deforestation could push the planet onto a trajectory of uncontrollable additional warming.
Wolfgang Lucht, head of Earth System Analysis at PIK and co-author of the study, underscored the importance of preserving the biosphere alongside addressing climate change. He explained, “Next to climate change, the integrity of the biosphere is the second crucial element for our planet. We are currently destabilizing this element by depleting biomass, destroying habitats, and deforesting vast areas.”
The study concludes on a somewhat hopeful note, suggesting that all of these boundaries can be brought back within safe limits. It emphasizes the need to set strict limits on the release of waste into the environment and the extraction of both living and non-living resources. The concept of planetary boundaries, initially met with debate, has become a cornerstone of Earth system science and has influenced policies and business practices.