Our planet has surpassed 6 of its 9 planetary boundaries…
Life first occurred on Earth 3 billion years ago. Conditions have changed over time, but certain cycles and interactions have always enabled life to thrive on our planet. However, the species homo sapiens seem to believe that they are exempt from the rules. They have started polluting and degrading the very cycles and interactions that gave rise to their technology. Since 2009, a group of scientists have released an infographic called the Planetary Boundaries, which quantifies the damage caused by human activity into 9 boundaries. The most recent infographic in 2023 has been causing waves. Here’s why.
Regular Friday afternoon ESS class was when I first found out about the infographic. Ms. Ghai explained that the 2023 infographic shows six out of the nine boundaries being overstepped, indicating that we are pushing the planet's systems way out of equilibrium. The green area of the diagram shows the "safe operating space" of humanity that does not cause irreversible impacts on the planet's interactions and ecosystems.
The 2023 Planetary Boundaries
It's important to note that exceeding two-thirds of the planetary boundaries does not mean natural disasters will occur frequently. Rather, it serves as a warning we should acknowledge that we are pushing the planet's systems out of equilibrium, or as the undergraduates at the University of Copenhagen say:
“The Earth’s blood pressure is too high”
Just like a resting heartbeat of 120bpm instead of 80bpm increases the risk of a heart attack, overstepping the planet’s boundaries could lead to another Ice Age.
What’s especially intriguing is when the Planetary Boundaries infographic was first released in 2009, it only featured 3 of the 9 planetary boundaries being transgressed. However, rapid advancements in technology, population growth, and urbanization have led to a doubling of these transgressed boundaries in just 15 years. Yet, it’s important to note two boundaries hadn’t been quantified.
Planetary boundaries over the years (2009-2023)
The red zones in the diagram denote areas where humans have exceeded their biocapacity. This issue is largely attributed to the exponential growth of the population. The J-curve population model illustrates that a population grows rapidly but then needs to stabilize or decline to achieve an equilibrium with its environment.
The J-curve
Humans are now entering the stabilization stage, and it will be intriguing to see especially how technological advancements play a role in our population transition and the planetary boundaries.
Thus, like an ESS student, it is paramount to take an environmental-centered approach to understand the Planetary Boundaries and make an impact. For example, my previous blog explains how this step will reduce your pressure on the planet by decluttering your iCloud, GDrive, GPhotos, etc.
Where do you think this graph is going? Do you think there is a relation between the planetary boundaries and the J-curve population model? These are important questions to consider.
