Breaching Earth’s 9 Planetary Health Boundaries May 'Destabilize' the Planet, Causing Disastrous Effects

Earth's planetary boundary, also called Earth's nine planetary health boundaries, is a framework that describes the limits or thresholds where humans and other living organisms can survive. It is within the context of anthropogenic impacts to nature. The concept suggests if we cross these boundaries, it could cause a dramatic change in the global environment and ecology at a point of no return.

Planetary boundaries are based on both prehistoric, and contemporary life forms and the different environmental, and biological systems that interact to allow all living things to thrive and survive. Since life on Earth first emerged 3.7 billion years ago, our planet underwent drastic changes to fine-tune the environmental conditions that are conducive to life, allowing the evolution of more complex organisms.

What Are Planetary Boundaries?

(Photo : Photo by NASA on Unsplash)

For decades, scientists have warned that climate change due to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel burning could damage or destroy, by the end of the 21^st century, existing systems that have supported life for millions of years. In addition, other anthropogenic pollution and destruction of nature are also potential threats against' Earth's planetary boundary.

According to Stockholm University's Stockholm Resilience Center, there are nine planetary boundaries on Earth and they are as follows:

•  Climate change
•  Biosphere integrity
•  Land-system change
•  Freshwater change
•  Biogeochemical flows
•  Ocean acidification
•  Atmospheric aerosol loading
•  Stratospheric ozone depletion
•  Novel entities

Based on the university's research, the concept of Earth's planetary boundaries shows that these nine elements are where humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come. Among these, the main two boundaries are climate change and biosphere integrity (which includes biodiversity. Humans can directly affect these two boundaries, but the other seven boundaries can also impact the primary two.

Also Read: 44% of Earth's Land in Need of Conservation To Protect Biological Diversity and Environmental Systems

Global Sustainability

Earth's planetary boundary perspective was introduced in 2009 to define the environmental limits within which humans can safely operate. This is according to a study published in the journal Science in 2015, where researchers say the approach also served as a guide in global sustainability policy development.

Citing previous research, the scientists involved in the 2015 paper there could be three boundaries, including climate change, that can push the Earth system into a new state if we crossed it and such significant change can influence the remaining planetary boundaries.

The purpose of identifying these boundaries is not only for records of theoretical knowledge on Earth systems but also for practical purposes as well, as mentioned earlier on its relevance to policy development. With this approach, world governments and industry leaders alike will be guided if a decision could harm or destroy one of the nine boundaries.

According to Katherine Richardson, an oceanographer at the Sustainability Science Center of the University of Copenhagen, it would be "foolish" if humans intentionally do something that would alter the conditions of these planetary boundaries, which serve as "guardrails" for us.

Related Article: Earth's 'Life Zones': 48 Locations on Earth That Are More Vulnerable to Climate Change