Study Finds Earth Has Breached Six of Nine Planetary Boundaries

A 2023 Science Advances study by Richardson, Rockström and colleagues found that Earth has transgressed six of nine planetary boundaries, including climate change, biosphere integrity, land system change, freshwater and biogeochemical flows. The findings reinforce the scientific urgency behind decarbonization and forest-restoration policies that shape ESG targets for Indian companies and regulators.

The Science Advances update to the planetary boundaries framework reports that six of nine processes are now transgressed: climate change, biosphere integrity (genetic diversity), land system change, biogeochemical flows (nitrogen and phosphorus), freshwater change (both green and blue water) and novel entities. Transgression has escalated since 2015. The study finds combined climate and land-system breaches occurred around 1988, pushing Earth into a zone of rising systemic risk. Maintaining 450 ppm atmospheric CO2 and specific forest-cover levels is cited as potentially stabilizing.

The findings affect every emissions-intensive sector and government, since the framework links systemic risk to land use, nitrogen and phosphorus flows, freshwater and atmospheric CO2. Agriculture, forestry, heavy industry and energy producers are directly implicated through biogeochemical flows and land-system change. The study specifically flags that restoring global forest cover to late-20th-century levels can sequester significant atmospheric CO2 by 2100, making land-use decisions material for any company or country pursuing Paris Agreement targets.

Policymakers and corporates should monitor the land-system-change boundary, which the authors identify as a potent near-term lever against climate change through forest restoration. Failing to respect this boundary, the study warns, could imperil Paris Agreement targets. Indian firms with land, agricultural or forestry exposure should track how nature and biodiversity considerations enter disclosure frameworks. The authors call for immediate, decisive global action and adoption of sustainable practices to keep within remaining safe operating limits.

Key figure — Boundaries transgressed: 6 of 9; stabilizing CO2 reference: 450 ppm atmospheric CO2