Menu
Since the industrial revolution, our society has harnessed natural resources to meet the demands of a burgeoning population, operating under the assumption that these resources were limitless. However, the repercussions of overconsumption became glaringly apparent as we faced the unsustainable consequences of our actions. Human activity, steering the Earth out of its 12,000-year Holocene state into the Anthropocene, marks a critical juncture in our relationship with the planet.
In 2009, researchers from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, led by Johan Rockström, identified nine pivotal processes governing Earth’s stability. Each process is accompanied by one or more boundaries, delineating the limits to anthropogenic perturbations that our society can impose while maintaining a naturally occurring interglacial state. Staying within these boundaries is imperative for societal safety, development, and thriving. Crossing these boundaries, however, poses a significant risk to Earth’s vital ecosystems, potentially leading to irreversible environmental changes and compromising human well-being.
The graphs below vividly illustrate the rapid crossing of most of these boundaries in recent years, underscoring the urgency to address and reverse destructive trends on nature. Explore the critical interplay between human activities and the Earth’s resilience, recognizing the need for immediate action to safeguard our planet’s future.
