Earth exceeds safe limits: First Planetary Health Check issues red alert

The launch of the Planetary Health Check is based on the publication of the inaugural Planetary Health Check Report, which represents a crucial step in collective efforts to understand and protect the stability and resilience of Earth. The report will be published annually in recognition of the importance of regular updates on Earth’s health, representing a significant advancement in providing consistent insights for stakeholders globally.

Typically, environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution have been addressed separately but these issues are interconnected and collectively impact our planet’s health, as well as human health. The Planetary Health Check report documents the latest scientific information on the diverse Planetary Boundary processes, identifies the underlying causes and the interconnectedness of various processes and connects Planetary Boundary processes to different tipping points, emphasizing the need for a whole Earth approach to ensure humanity's future.

Planetary Boundaries such as climate change, change in biosphere integrity and ocean acidification are defined for the nine critical Earth system processes that regulate life support systems on Earth. They outline a safe operating space within which humanity can thrive while keeping the planet stable and resilient. Once a boundary is breached, the risk of permanently damaging Earth’s life support functions increases as does the probability of crossing tipping points that cause irreversible changes. If multiple boundaries are breached, risks sharply increase. The Planetary Health Check shows, that these critical Earth’s systems functions are at risk, with six of nine Planetary Boundaries breached and the imminent breach of a seventh, and a clear trend towards further transgression. While a boundary transgression is not equivalent to drastic changes happening overnight, they mark entering territory of rising risk. 

“Our updated diagnosis shows that vital organs of the Earth system are weakening, leading to a loss of resilience and rising risks of crossing tipping points. Six of the nine planetary boundaries are transgressed, put into context in the report by high-resolution spatial maps of local and regional trends for all nine boundaries. The message is clear, local actions impact the planet, and a planet under pressure can impact everyone, everywhere. Securing human wellbeing, economic development, and stable societies requires a holistic approach where the protection of the planet takes center stage,” said Levke Caesar, PIK Scientist, Co-Lead of PBScience, and one of the lead authors of the Planetary Health Check.

The Planetary Health Check as a new tool to translate science into action and guide global development

“The Planetary Health Check is a major leap forward in our collective mission to understand and protect our planet. We have known for some time that we are weakening the planet’s resilience. This scientific update shows that, irrespective of what scale we operate on, all actions need to consider impacts at the planetary scale. Stewardship of the planet is necessary in all sectors of the economy and in societies, for security, prosperity and equity. By quantifying the boundaries for a healthy planet, we provide policy, economics and business with the tools needed to steer away from unmanageable risks," says Johan Rockström, PIK Director, Pioneer of the Planetary Boundaries Framework and Co-Founder of the Planetary Guardians.

“The overall diagnostic is that the patient, Planet Earth, is in critical condition. Six of nine Planetary Boundaries are transgressed. Seven PB processes show a trend of increasing pressure so that we will soon see the majority of the Planetary Health Check parameters in the high-risk zone,” Johan Rockström adds.

“When we look at the trends of Earth’s health indicators, we see that soon the majority of them will be in the high-risk zone. We need to reverse this trend. We know that all Planetary Boundary processes act together and each one needs protection to protect the whole system”, said Boris Sakschewski, Co-lead of PBScience and lead author of the report. “It is this interplay which will be the focus of PBScience. By gaining a deeper understanding of the system, we will identify those actions that most effectively reduce or counteract humanity’s impacts as we urgently need to return to the safe operating space.”

Another important future objective of PBScience is to incorporate indigenous knowledge into the Planetary Health Check. Indigenous Peoples from around the world have had a kinship with the planet for millennia. Their stewardship of the Earth’s resources, and knowledge of how to live in harmony with the planet, is imperative for the creation of holistic solutions to humanity’s impact on planetary health.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chair of the Planetary Guardians and an expert in the adaptation of Indigenous Peoples to and mitigation of climate change, added “For centuries, Indigenous Peoples have lived in harmony with the land, learning how to use the environment to support themselves and to replenish what is taken for the overall health of Earth. We are killing ourselves with overdoses of chemicals, destruction of nature, skyrocketing temperatures, and increasing pollution. As industry has accelerated, Indigenous Peoples have seen their homes degraded and destroyed. It is imperative that this decline is reversed. With the Planetary Health Check, we can begin to illuminate this path while also sharing the deep knowledge of Indigenous Peoples when it comes to identifying solutions. We can live a legacy of an even better world for future generations to thrive in partnership with Earth.”

The Planetary Health Check gives a unique, holistic view of the Planet’s health serving as a compass for decision making for nations, companies, multilaterals, and all citizens. It will evolve with the support of a range of partners into a “mission-control centre” for Earth using the latest satellite data, AI, Indigenous Peoples wisdom, and the latest modern science.  Ultimately, the Planetary Health Check will enable everyone to urgently act and to build their five-year plans to help humanity change course to get back to a safe operating space.