Planetary boundaries 101 from our Sustainability Manager, Ella | Zedify
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Planetaryboundaries101fromourSustainabilityManager,Ella

calendarOctober 31st, 2024
personElla Yarrow
clock3 minute read

Earth had its first ‘Planetary Health Check‘ last month, so we’ve penned this piece to discuss what this might mean for those of us in the business world.

We chat a bit about planetary boundaries in the write up, and you’d be forgiven for not knowing what we mean by that. But don’t fear – we’ve got you with this handy write up showing how each boundary is faring.

Knowing our limits

Currently, six out of nine planetary boundaries have been breached. But what does this actually mean? I’ve gone through them and pulled out a  quick summary for each:

  1. Climate Change –  the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the change in energy balance of the atmosphere has exceeded safe levels. Our global mean surface temperatures are now higher than at any point since the start of human history.
  2. Change in Biosphere Integrity the loss of genetic diversity (as a result of  increasing rates of extinction) as well as  functional integrity which is measured as energy available to ecosystems (in short a decrease = less resilience and adaptability) have both exceeded their safe levels. 
  3. Land System Change – The globally remaining major forest areas (tropical, boreal and temperate) have fallen below the safe levels. This transformation of natural landscapes has negatively impacted moisture and nutrient recycling, habitats for wildlife, and carbon sequestration. 
  4. Freshwater Change – human-induced changes across freshwater in rivers, lakes, groundwater, and soil have exceeded safe levels and have become unstable. This decreases our resilience as it causes large ecological shifts. 
  5. Modification of Biogeochemical Flows – natural global phosphorus and nitrogen nutrient cycles have been disrupted beyond the safe level by agriculture and industry. This has resulted in declining soil health, harmful algal blooms and dead zones in marine and freshwater ecosystems.
  6. Introduction of Novel Entities – The amount of human-made substances (like synthetic chemicals, plastics, and genetically modified organisms) that are released into the environment are above the safe level, causing contamination and pollution. 

All of these breaches show  accelerating trends which suggests we’ll continue to face further transgression. For the remaining three boundaries which are deemed to be within the ‘safe operating space’ there’s a risk here too, unless major changes are put in place to reverse the current trajectory: 

7. Ocean Acidification increasing acidity of the ocean is as a result of the absorption of carbon dioxide. New studies suggest that even the current conditions may already be problematic for multiple marine organisms and ecosystems, indicating an urgent need to re-evaluate the safe boundary. 

8. Atmospheric Aerosol Loading more airborne particles are being released from human activities (and also natural ones). This alters temperature and precipitation, with patterns varying by region. 

9. Stratospheric Ozone DepletionThe current total amount of stratospheric ozone is within the Safe Operating Space, but values are still below the mid-20th century levels. A thinner ozone layer in the upper atmosphere allows more harmful UV radiation to reach Earth’s surface. 

FIG 1 [State of the Planet across Planetary Boundaries], Source: L. Caesar*, B. Sakschewski*, L. S. Andersen, T. Beringer, J. Braun, D. Dennis, D. Gerten, A. Heilemann, J. Kaiser, N.H. Kitzmann, S. Loriani, W. Lucht, J. Ludescher, M. Martin, S. Mathesius, A. Paolucci, S. te Wierik, J. Rockström, 2024, Planetary Health Check Report 2024. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany. (*equal contributors to this work and designated as co-first authors)

This piece was written by Ella Yarrow, Zedify’s Sustainability Manager. Contact Ella via email at ella.yarrow@zedify.co.uk.

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