The planetary boundaries concept presents a set of nine planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come.

These nine planetary boundaries were first proposed by former Stockholm Resilience Centre director Johan Rockström and a group of 28 internationally renowned scientists in 2009.

Since then, their framework has been revised several times.

The latest update in Sept’ 2023 not only quantified all boundaries, but it also concludes that six of the nine boundaries have been transgressed.

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.

Since its first conceptualization, the planetary boundaries framework has generated enormous interest within science, policy, and practice.

Johan Rockström is a very interesting person to hear speaking on this concept and there are plenty of YouTube videos and a couple of Ted Talks by him that are worth listening to.

A search for Johan Rockström should yield a number of his talks but links to his most relevant videos can be found below:

10 years to transform the future of humanity — or destabilize the planet

A True Paradise: AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT

Opening keynote: Johan Rockström – Safe landing within Planetary Boundaries – Day 1 | GTF 2023

Planetary boundaries: scientific advances | Frontiers Forum Live 2023