Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries

For the first time, an international team of scientists is able to provide a detailed outline of planetary resilience by mapping out all nine boundary processes that define a safe operating space for humanity. From global warming to the biosphere and deforestation, from pollutants & plastic to nitrogen cycles and freshwater: Six of nine planetary boundaries are being transgressed, while pressure in all those boundary processes is increasing, cutting-edge research published in the journal Science Advances shows.

The novel entities boundary has been quantified, and the assessment shows that it is transgressed. It includes the accumulation of all novel chemical compounds created by humans, such as micro-plastics, pesticides and nuclear waste. Also, in a first, there is now scientific evidence to quantify the boundary of atmospheric aerosol loading – this boundary is not transgressed yet, even though regional transgressions do occur, e.g., in South Asia. The freshwater boundary now addresses both green water (held in soil and plants in farms, forests etc.) and blue water (rivers, lakes etc) – both boundaries are transgressed. As another first, a control variable for the biosphere integrity was introduced – revealing evidence for another crossed boundary which in fact has been crossed since the late 19th century, when global agriculture and forestry saw major expansions. Planetary resilience goes well beyond climate change, the researchers underline.