Helena (Marleen) van Mierlo’s Post

Scientists have issued a stark warning: Earth's life support systems are in jeopardy. 🌎 This comprehensive assessment, representing the first scientific health check for the entire planet, reveals that six out of nine 'planetary boundaries' have already been breached due to human-caused pollution and destruction of nature. Even more concerning, another two are dangerously close to being compromised. Prof Katherine Richardson, from Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen explains that, “We know for certain that humanity can thrive under the conditions that have been here for 10,000 years – we don’t know that we can thrive under major, dramatic alterations [and] humans impacts on the Earth." Once again, science has sounded the alarm. To steer humanity away from the brink of ecological collapse, we must shift our focus to protect the Earth's physical, biological and chemical systems. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ez5dZWyj #earth #climatechange #climatecrisis

We impact the planet, and increasingly the planet is impacting us. With the best science that we have, the Stockholm Resilience center draws a shocking view of where we have ended up with our current economy. We have been growing prosperity with a tunnel vision. However, the status quo seems to be changing, there are large forces pushing us in a direction where we could live more in balance with our surroundings. Also, we have opportunities to solve our challenges. We have evidence, that a negative trend can also be reversed (case ozone layer), this should give us hope when facing the challenges with a changing climate, water scarcity and loss of biodiversity. Regardless of the depressing figures behind the link, moving us back within the planetary boundaries is the opportunity of a lifetime. Corporates will be a crucial part of building a better and healthier system. #sustainability #planetaryboundaries #industry

How much time do we have? "Six of nine planetary boundaries are now being crossed, while simultaneously pressure in all boundary processes is increasing, new research shows." As the pressure on the planet increases, vital boundaries are being breached, which could cause irreversible damage. In 2009, the planetary boundaries framework was introduced for the first time. This is the third major assessment of the framework. It shows that "while transgressing a boundary is not equivalent to drastic changes happening overnight, together they mark a critical threshold for increasing risks to people and the ecosystems we are part of." Researchers argue that Earth resilience goes beyond climate change, and they work with policymakers, businesses, and broader society to mitigate pressures everywhere. Climate and ecosystem interactions were studied using computer models and simulations. In order to understand the impact of environmental change caused by today's environment, the study looked several hundred years into the future. "The new planetary boundaries assessment highlights the tight and complex links between people and the planet, [.....] and our responsibility as future stewards of the planet." What do you think? #polycrisis #planetaryboundaries #degrowth #doughnuteconomics #anthropocene Hi, I’m Alan. I write about the polycrisis including topics such as degrowth, e-waste, and plastic pollution. Would you like me to write engaging content for your audience? If you would, then please feel free to contact me. I can also help you with networking and marketing on LinkedIn. https://lnkd.in/ef9Qqvw6

"Currently, anthropogenic perturbations of the global environment are primarily addressed as if they were separate issues, e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss, or pollution. This approach, however, ignores these perturbations’ nonlinear interactions and resulting aggregate effects on the overall state of Earth system. Planetary boundaries bring a scientific understanding of anthropogenic global environmental impacts into a framework that calls for considering the state of Earth system as a whole." - Richardson et al., 2023 #PlanetaryBoundaries #PlanetaryBoundaries2023 quantified #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #Resilience #scienceandenvironment https://lnkd.in/gG5JV3d9

Sobering reading from the latest #planetary_boundary research from the Stockholm Resilience Centre and a reminder that we need to think more broadly about sustainability than ‘just’ emissions...   “In light of these new outcomes, the researchers emphasise that Earth resilience goes well beyond #climate_change.   "The planetary boundaries framework helps scientists to track and communicate how these rising pressures are destabilizing our planet.   Earth is a living planet, so the consequences are impossible to predict. That is why we are working more and more with policymakers, #businesses and wider society to try to mitigate pressures on all boundaries”, stresses co-author Sarah Cornell of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.   The boundary for ozone depletion was exceeded in the 1990s but – thanks to global initiatives, catalyzed by the Montreal Protocol, this boundary is no longer transgressed."     https://lnkd.in/e8A99vRb

For the first time ever, scientists have now quantified all nine planetary boundaries. And six are crossed. Since Earth is a living planet, the consequences are impossible to predict. I think what frustrates me the most is the difficulty we seem to have in understanding, seeing and treating the planet’s climate and ecosystems as a system. Therefore our human actions and what we choose to do (or not to do) impacts the whole system in different ways. And the lack of understanding this when taking decisions, setting out political direction or policy and creating businesses with sustainable business models - and not negatively impacting the planet - is too slow. Thank-you Stockholm Resilience Centre for your important work and for the science being clear! Johan Rockström #climatechange #sustainability #sustainablebusinessmodels

THE ALARM IS RINGING! On Tuesday, I gave a class about the History of Sustainable Development at the Burgundy School of Business - BSB, and I presented, among other things, the discussions on the "Anthropocene" and the "Planetary Boundaries". On the following day, at our classes about the Green New Deal(s) and alternative approaches to economics, I surprised them with the revision of the Planetary Boundaries, published this month. In a nutshell, we have overshot 6 out of 9 Planetary Boundaries, putting the Earth's balance that allowed us to thrive in the past millennia at risk. Given the systemic interactions among them, passing one planetary boundary impacts all others, generating feedback loops in ways we cannot predict accurately. Putting the planet back into its safety zone should be the goal of all professionals this century! "This planetary boundaries framework update finds that six of the nine boundaries are transgressed, suggesting that Earth is now well outside of the safe operating space for humanity. Ocean acidification is close to being breached, while aerosol loading regionally exceeds the boundary. Stratospheric ozone levels have slightly recovered. The transgression level has increased for all boundaries earlier identified as overstepped. As primary production drives Earth system biosphere functions, human appropriation of net primary production is proposed as a control variable for functional biosphere integrity. This boundary is also transgressed. Earth system modeling of different levels of the transgression of the climate and land system change boundaries illustrates that these anthropogenic impacts on Earth system must be considered in a systemic context." Read more: https://lnkd.in/e8qNe8MZ

"Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries" 🌎 🚫 Last week, a new study revealed that six out of nine planetary boundaries have been crossed, highlighting the urgency of our collective action. As the Stockholm Resilience Centre mentioned, "crossing boundaries increases the risk of generating large-scale abrupt or irreversible environmental changes. Drastic changes will not necessarily happen overnight, but together the boundaries mark a critical threshold for increasing risks to people and the ecosystems we are part of." Explore more about this topic here: https://lnkd.in/eSG7W9kU https://lnkd.in/eFt6_6GC

In 2009, 28 renowned researchers identified nine planetary boundaries crucial to keep our planet in balance. Crossing these limits could lead to irreversible environmental changes. A recent update reveals that six boundaries are already breached, indicating Earth is beyond a safe operating space. Urgent action is needed as ocean acidification and aerosol loading approach critical levels. While ozone levels show slight improvement, human appropriation of net primary production is a concern for biosphere integrity. Systemic consideration of anthropogenic impacts is essential for addressing climate and land system changes. For more information, follow these resources: https://lnkd.in/eCtmp79 #optimumsustainability #carbonreduction #wastereduction #zeroinjuries #planetaryboundaries

New research shows that six out of the nine planetary boundaries are being crossed. The article published in Science Advances serves as a much-needed wake-up call by explaining the effect of human-induced changes that are threatening our planet The authors show the various ways in which human activities are putting the well-being of the planet at risk.   The nine planetary boundaries represent conditions that are needed for the planet to support our civilizations. The boundaries model proposes a 'safe operating space' in which we can alter the planet's state without irreversible damage. Unfortunately, six boundaries are in a 'high-risk zone' with a risk of irreversible consequences.   The planetary boundaries that are being crossed are:   - Biosphere integrity (changes in genetic diversity and biosphere change) - Climate change - Novel entities (introductions of synthetic chemicals and substances) - Freshwater change - Biogeochemical flows - Land system change (decrease in forest cover)   The authors highlight the interconnectedness of these risks, meaning that they cannot be viewed in isolation. For instance, the article emphasizes that respecting the boundaries of land system change will contribute to the diminishing of climate change. Increasing the world's forest cover will be crucial for capturing CO2, so that we can still aim to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. #planetaryboundaries #climatechange #sustainability