Posted on 16 September 2023 by John Hartz

Story of the Week

Humans Have Crossed 6 of 9 ‘Planetary Boundaries’

Scientists analyzed nine so-called planetary boundaries and found humans are currently transgressing six

Human activity is turning Earth into a world that may no longer adequately support the societies we’ve built, scientists warn in a new study charting whether and by how much we have surpassed nine “planetary boundaries.”

The analysis builds on a 2009 paper that first outlined nine planetary constraints that keep Earth’s environment similar to that of the world humans lived in during the preindustrial portion of the Holocene epoch. This period lasted for about the past 10,000 years, until the industrial revolution began and humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels and sending heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In the new research, published on Wednesday in Science Advances, researchers raise the alarm about what the potential consequences of this departure from humans’ baseline might be.

“It’s like blood pressure,” says Katherine Richardson, an earth systems scientist at the University of Copenhagen, who led the new research. “If your blood pressure is over 120 over 80, it’s not a guarantee that you’re going to have a heart attack, but it does raise the risk, and therefore we do what we can to bring it down.”

The new study marks the second update since the 2009 paper and the first time scientists have included numerical guideposts for each boundary—a very significant development. “What is novel about this paper is: it’s the first time that all nine boundaries have been quantified,” says Rak Kim, an environmental social scientist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

Click here to access the entire article as originally posted on the Scientific American website.

Humans Have Crossed 6 of 9 ‘Planetary Boundaries’ Scientists analyzed nine so-called planetary boundaries and found humans are currently transgressing six by Meghan Bartels, Environment, Scientific American, Sep 13, 2023 

Articles posted on Facebook

Sunday, Sep 10, 2023

• To keep workers going in the heat, companies try fledgling cooling tech The cooling-gear industry has grown as temperatures have risen. Whether it all works is another question. by Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, Sep 8, 2023
• World isn’t moving fast enough to cut pollution and keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius, UN scorecard says by Ella Nilsen, CNN, Sep 8, 2023
• UN Puts Out 'Truly Damning Report Card' for Climate Action Before Global Summits "This report is a wake-up call to the injustice of the climate crisis and a pivotal opportunity to correct course," said one expert. by Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams, Sep 8, 2023
• As the Colorado River Declines, Some Upstream Look to Use it Before They Lose it As states negotiate future water cuts, some officials are looking to build new dams and reservoirs in the Upper Basin of the overallocated Colorado River to use more water. by Wyatt Myskaw, Justice, Inside Climate News, Sep 10, 2023

Monday, Sep 11, 2023

• Corals, mangroves unlikely to survive if global warming exceeds 2 deg C: Study by Cheryl Tan, The Straits Times (Singapore), Sep 10, 2023
• Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2023 by Doug Bostrom & Marc Kodac, Skeptical Science, Sep 11, 2023
• Experts Warn of ‘Denialism Comeback’ Ahead of November’s Global Climate Talks Even amid a disaster-filled summer marked by record heat, climate misinformation continues to spread online at alarming rates. Some experts fear it could slow progress at COP28. by Kristoffer Tigue, Today;s Climate, Inside Climate News, Sep 8, 2023
• Where Dangerous Heat Is Surging by Niko Kommenda, Shannon Osaka, Simon Ducroquet & Veronica Penney, The Human Limit, Climate, Washington Post, Sep 5, 2023

Tuesday, Sep 12, 2023

• Absolutely Devastating News': Antarctica Warming Quicker Than Models Projected The new study's lead author said that "it is extremely concerning to see such significant warming in Antarctica, beyond natural variability." by Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams, Sep 8, 2023
• Betting against worst-case climate scenarios is risky business by David Spratt, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Sep 4, 2023
• At least 2,000 dead and 10,000 believed missing in Libya as ‘catastrophic’ flooding breaks dams and sweeps away homes by Hamdi Alkhshali, Mostafa Salem & Kareem El Damanhoury, Africa, CNN, Sep 12, 2023
• At a glance - Does cold weather disprove global warming? by John Mason & Baerbel Winkler, Skeptical Science, Sep 12, 2023
• How is climate change impacting hurricane season? It’s complicated by Jessica McKenzie, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Sep 7, 2023

Wednesday, Sep 13, 2023

• Stop calling people ‘climate refugees’ by Kalia Ruth Barkai, Climate Home News, Sep 11, 2023
• How scientists test whether humans are causing our extreme weather by Meeri Kim, Science, Washington Post, Sep 22, 2023
• The world’s biggest carbon capture facility is being built in Texas. Will it work? The plant will inject 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the ground each year – but is it just greenwashing from big oil? by Oliver Milman, Environment, The Guardian, Sep 12, 2023
• What it’s like to sue the government over climate change (she won) An interview with 22-year-old Rikki Held, the lead plaintiff in a successful landmark case in Montana., Interview by Bridgett Ennis, Yale Climate Connections, Aug 29, 2023 

Thursday, Sep 14, 2023

• G20 agrees to pursue tripling renewables capacity but stop short of major goals by Shivam Patel, Sustainability, Reuters, Sep 9, 2023
• US behind more than a third of global oil and gas expansion plans, report finds Study highlights conflict between Washington’s claims of climate leadership and its fossil fuel growth plans by Fiona Harvey, Environment, The Guardian, Sep 12, 2023
• Summer 2023 was the hottest on record – yes, it’s climate change, but don’t call it ‘the new normal’ by Scott Denning, Environment & Energy, The Conversation US, Sep 13, 2023
• Conditions on Earth may be moving outside the ‘safe operating space’ for humanity, according to dozens of scientists by Laura Paddison, World, CNN, Sep 13, 2023

Friday Sep 15, 2023

• Humans Have Crossed 6 of 9 ‘Planetary Boundaries’ Scientists analyzed nine so-called planetary boundaries and found humans are currently transgressing six Scientists analyzed nine so-called planetary boundaries and found humans are currently transgressing six by Meghan Bartels, Environment, Scientific American, Sep 13, 2023
• Antarctica may have entered ‘new regime’ of low sea ice as global warming ramps up Study conducted by Australian scientists describes a ‘breakdown’ in link between sea ice and atmosphere as coverage reaches record lows by Donna Lu, World, The Guardian, Sep 13, 2023
• Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37 2023 by Doug Bostrom & Marc Kodack, Skeptical Science, Sep 13, 2023
• Patrick Brown's recycled hallucination of climate science by Doug Bostrom, Skeptical Science, Sep 15, 2023

Saturday Sep 16, 2023

• Governments must seek win-win synergies by tackling climate and sustainable development crises together, urges expert group report, UN Press Release, Sep 13, 2023
• Leaders must listen to the people and end fossil fuels Masses of people will take to the streets in 650 events around the world this weekend, to call for a phaseout of coal, oil and gas Commentary by Mads Flarup Christensen (Greenpeace), Climate Home News, Sep 15, 2023 
• New files shed light on ExxonMobil’s efforts to undermine climate science by Dharna Noor, US News, The Guardian, Sep 14, 2023

• Climate change "undoubtedly" played a role in Libyan floods that killed over 11,000 people: experts Cyclone Daniel caused two dams to fail in Derna but the storm was supercharged by a warming planet, scientists say by Matthew Rozsa, Science & Health, Salon, Sep 15, 2023

• Climate change is undermining nearly all sustainable development goals, says report, Staff, WMO/Phys.org, Sep 14, 2023