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The 2023 update to the Planetary boundaries. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Credit: "Azote for Stockholm Resilience Centre, based on analysis in Richardson et al 2023". Download the illustration here.
Understanding the limits of Earth’s life-support systems is essential for navigating toward a just and regenerative future.
The Planetary Boundaries Framework is a scientific model that identifies nine key Earth system processes critical to maintaining the stability and resilience of the planet. First introduced in 2009 by a team led by Johan Rockström at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, it has become one of the most influential tools in global sustainability thinking. The framework serves as a compass to help humanity stay within a "safe operating space" that supports life as we know it.
These nine planetary boundaries include climate change, biosphere integrity, freshwater use, land-system change, and biogeochemical flows (such as nitrogen and phosphorus cycles), among others. By 2023, scientists had quantified all nine boundaries, concluding that six have already been transgressed—a warning sign of increasing ecological instability.
What makes this framework powerful is its systems thinking approach: it reveals how interconnected and interdependent the boundaries are. Crossing one threshold increases the likelihood of crossing others. For example, biodiversity loss can compound the effects of climate change, which in turn affects freshwater availability and land systems.
The framework doesn't just sound the alarm; it also provides guidance for decision-makers, educators, and activists seeking to embed ecological limits into policy and practice. It is increasingly used to assess planetary health at national and global levels, including through the Potsdam Institute’s annual Planetary Health Check since 2024.
Useful Links:
Stockholm Resilience Centre – Planetary Boundaries
Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries
Johan Rockström on navigating planetary boundaries for a sustainable future
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