All life on Earth depends on the health of our Earth system, the geosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Planetary boundaries are a framework to describe limits to the impacts of human activities on the Earth system. Beyond these limits, the environment may not be able to self-regulate anymore. This would mean the Earth system would leave the period of stability of the Holocene, in which human society developed. The framework is based on scientific evidence that human actions, especially those of industrialised societies since the Industrial Revolution, have become the main driver of global environmental change. According to the framework, “transgressing one or more planetary boundaries may be deleterious or even catastrophic due to the risk of crossing thresholds that will trigger non-linear, abrupt environmental change within continental-scale to planetary-scale systems.”

The interdependency of the Planetary Boundaries makes it necessary to simultaneously consider all of them.

Novel Entities

Plastics are an example of these novel entities. Plastic and other chemicals pollution has the potential to cause severe ecosystem and human health problems at different scales, but also to alter vital Earth system processes on which human life depends link

Videos

Johan Rockström | Planetary boundaries: scientific advances | Frontiers Forum Live 2023

Opening keynote: Johan Rockström – Safe landing within Planetary Boundaries – Day 1 | GTF 2023

The Planetary Boundaries and what they mean for the Future of Humanity

What are the planetary boundaries? | Mongabay Explains

MOOC Planetary Boundaries and Human Opportunities

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Publications

2024 March – Report by PlastChem State of the science on plastic chemicals -Identifying and addressing chemicals and polymers of concern

2024 – The planetary commons: A new paradigm for safeguarding Earth-regulating systems in the Anthropocene

2023 – Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries link

2023 – Conflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution link

2023 – UNEP Chemicals in Plastics – A Technical Report link

2023 – United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Thematic Study: Planetary Boundaries link

2022 – Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities link

2022 – Plastics Pollution and the Planetary Boundaries framework link

2021 – Weathering Plastics as a Planetary Boundary Threat: Exposure, Fate, and Hazards link

2020 – Reaching new heights in plastic pollution—preliminary findings of microplastics on Mount Everest link

2019 – Environmental Deterioration of Biodegradable, Oxo-Biodegradable, Compostable, and Conventional Plastic Carrier Bags in the Sea, Soil, and Open-Air Over a 3-Year Period link

2019 – UNEP Global Chemicals Outlook II: From Legacies to Innovative Solutions link

2018 – Development of a life-cycle impact assessment methodology linked to the Planetary Boundaries framework link

2018 – Marine Plastic Pollution as a Planetary Boundary Threat – The Drifting Piece in the Sustainability Puzzle link

2018 – Synthetic polymer contamination in bottled water link

2017- Synthetic chemicals as agents of global change link

2016 – Sources, Fate and Effects of Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Part 2 of a Global Assessment link

2015 – Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet link

2015 – Exploring the planetary boundary for chemical pollution link

2014 – Identifying Chemicals That Are Planetary Boundary Threats link

2013 – Chemical Footprint: A Methodological Framework for Bridging Life Cycle Assessment and Planetary Boundaries for Chemical Pollution: Chemical Footprint Methodology for Aquatic Ecosystems link

2009 – A safe operating space for humanity – Identifying and quantifying planetary boundaries that must not be transgressed could help prevent human activities from causing unacceptable environmental change, argue Johan Rockström and colleagues. link