Seven of nine 'planetary boundaries' now breached, global scientist coalition warns
A new annual assessment by 60 scientists finds Earth's life-support systems at their worst levels ever recorded, with seven of nine planetary boundaries now outside the safe zone.
Seven of the nine "planetary boundaries" that scientists use to gauge Earth's capacity to sustain life are being breached at their highest levels ever recorded, according to an annual assessment released this week by a coalition of 60 scientists working under the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
The report found deterioration across climate change, biosphere integrity, land-system change, freshwater change, biogeochemical flows, the introduction of novel pollutants and, for the second year running, ocean acidification. Only stratospheric ozone depletion and atmospheric aerosol loading showed improvement over the past decade.
"The diagnosis is unambiguous — pressure is rising across every planetary boundary already outside the safe operating space," said Boris Sakschewski, the report's lead author. Co-author Johan Rockstrom said humanity still has the knowledge to reverse course, but the margin for error is shrinking.
The assessment warned that natural buffers such as forests and oceans, which have absorbed much of the carbon dioxide humans have emitted, may be weakening faster than previously understood, raising the risk that the Amazon rainforest could tip into savannah. The findings were released as Climate Week opened in New York City, drawing what organizers say will be the largest crowd yet, even as public reluctance to discuss global warming persists among many attendees.
This brief is based on reporting by Oliver Milman for The Guardian. Read the original: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/21/planetary-boundaries-breached-scientists-warn-climate-crisis
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
