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Please note: This article concerns French legislation. The requirements described may not apply in other countries.
At the heart of scientific, political, and societal debate, the concept of planetary boundaries defines environmental thresholds that must not be crossed to preserve a safe operating space for humanity. It is a conceptual framework, a scientific lens, that now serves as a reference point for understanding the interactions between human activity and the overall balance of the planet.
Every year, Earth Overshoot Day arrives earlier. This marks the moment when we have consumed all the natural resources the Earth is able to regenerate in a year. It is a powerful signal, prompting reflection on planetary boundaries and the need to preserve a “safe operating space for humanity.”
Planetary boundaries: the origins of the concept
The concept of planetary boundaries stems from an international study conducted in 2009 in collaboration with the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Titled A Safe Operating Space for Humanity, it was carried out by a group of 28 international scientists led by Johan Rockström, former director of the SRC (the Swedish researcher explains this concept himself in an accessible way in this 18-minute TED talk, viewed more than 2 million times).
This scientific work is based on the fact that the Earth's balance over the last ten thousand years has provided living conditions highly favorable to the development of humanity. However, since the start of the Anthropocene, and particularly in recent decades, human activity has been impacting geology and ecosystems to such an extent that it is destabilizing the space in which we live and could render the planet uninhabitable. The question, therefore, is: which thresholds must absolutely not be crossed?
The nine planetary boundaries and the causes of their degradation
The study sets out nine boundaries that must not be crossed for the Earth's ecosystem to continue functioning in a way that is livable. These various boundaries inevitably interact significantly with one another.
1. Climate change
An energy and climate imbalance, caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases (mainly CO₂), primarily emitted by human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation
2. Biodiversity loss
Destruction and artificialisation of natural environments, overexploitation of resources (see Earth Overshoot Day), climate change, pollution, introduction of invasive alien species, etc.
3. Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles
Modern agriculture (fertilisers and livestock farming), inadequate wastewater treatment, and urbanisation are disrupting the biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus, exceeding the biosphere's natural regulatory capacity.
The massive input of nitrogen and phosphorus promotes excessive algae growth in lakes, rivers and coastal areas (a phenomenon known as eutrophication). This depletes dissolved oxygen in the water, leading to a loss of aquatic biodiversity. Natural cycles are altered, affecting plant growth and soils' capacity to absorb and release these nutrients, disrupting the balance of terrestrial ecosystems. Finally, excess nitrogen promotes the production of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a powerful greenhouse gas, accelerating climate change.
4. Land-use change
The combination of food demand, economic growth, urban expansion and agricultural innovation has major effects on ecosystems, biodiversity and climate (deforestation, soil sealing, shrinking of natural areas, etc.).
5. Ocean acidification
Absorption by seas and oceans of some of the carbon dioxide (CO2) resulting from human activity. This dissolved CO2 reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, which lowers the pH of the water, making the oceans more acidic. Absorption of nitrogen compounds and sulphur compounds, along with eutrophication linked to excess nitrogen and phosphorus along coastlines, can locally amplify this phenomenon.
6. Freshwater cycle
Climate change, urbanisation and soil sealing, overexploitation, pollution, deforestation and land-use change, and saltwater intrusion in coastal areas are all factors disrupting the freshwater cycle.
7. Stratospheric ozone layer
Its depletion is mainly linked to the emission of halogenated compounds. Chemicals that accumulate in the atmosphere are transported to the stratosphere, where they are transformed by photochemical reactions; these reactions then produce highly reactive chlorine or bromine derivatives that damage ozone.
8. Atmospheric aerosols
Particles suspended in the air, of both natural origin (volcanoes, dust, forest fires, etc.) and human origin: the burning of coal, oil and gas, as well as industrial emissions, generate sulphates, nitrates and soot carbon that alter the composition of the atmosphere. They play a key role in modulating climate and the water cycle by affecting incoming sunlight and cloud formation.
9. Novel entities (pollutants)
This covers all chemical substances, materials and artificial agents in the environment: industrial chemical compounds (plastics, solvents, pesticides, etc.), heavy metals (linked to mining or the burning of fossil fuels, for example), fine particles, SOx, NOx, VOCs, etc. Their accumulation and long-term effects are still poorly understood.
Planetary boundaries crossed and concrete risks
The concept of planetary boundaries evolves as our understanding of these phenomena improves. According to information as of June 2025, 7 out of 9 boundaries have now been crossed (ocean acidification, primarily driven by CO2 emissions, is the seventh boundary to be crossed. This threshold is estimated to have been breached several years ago).
Crossing planetary boundaries challenges the resilience of ecosystems and natural cycles—such as water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus—and threatens the stable conditions that have enabled human development on Earth.
Each boundary crossed increases the likelihood of reaching critical ecological tipping points, beyond which natural systems may shift into vastly different states, sometimes irreversibly (such as the collapse of certain ecosystems, the irreversible melting of ice caps, or species extinction). Due to their interconnected nature, crossing one boundary can exacerbate the crossing of others.
Ecosystems regulate the climate, purify water, maintain soil fertility, and provide essential services for human survival. Their degradation jeopardizes food security, freshwater availability, and human health and well-being.
Integrating planetary boundaries: an imperative for our collective future
It is precisely because companies contribute significantly to the crossing of these boundaries that global organizations like the UN Global Compact, through the establishment of the SDGs, bodies such as the European Union with the CSRD, and countries including Japan, China, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and others are, in various ways, encouraging or mandating greater transparency regarding the sustainability of business models. Strong commitments from companies are now expected by both consumers and investors.
The concept of planetary boundaries must be understood by companies, public policymakers, and citizens alike, as it provides a structured scientific framework for rethinking and guiding more responsible, sustainable strategies. It compels us to innovate in order to reimagine our economic models and to guarantee not only the long-term survival of organizations, but also the habitability of the planet for future generations.
Doughnut Economics: how to act within a framework of planetary resilience
Doughnut Economics, tomorrow's economy in 7 key principles, developed by British economist Kate Raworth and first set out in an Oxfam report in 2012, does away with GDP and proposes a new framework for assessing economic prosperity: meeting fundamental human needs without exceeding the planet's capacities.
- Social foundation: At the centre of the doughnut are essential needs (food, health, housing, education, access to water, equity, etc.). If populations do not reach this minimum level, they fall into the “hole” of the doughnut, i.e. into a situation of deprivation or social exclusion.
- Ecological ceiling: The outer ring of the doughnut represents the 9 planetary boundaries that must not be crossed in order to preserve ecological balance. Going beyond this ring means risking major ecological crises.
The ideal zone – the safe and just space for humanity – therefore lies between these two rings, where everyone's needs are met without exceeding the Earth's ecological limits.
Crossing planetary boundaries could lead to profound environmental changes, jeopardising the stability of vital systems and the viability of a planet suited to human life. But by incorporating them into their strategy, companies and public authorities can identify and anticipate the major ecological risks (resource depletion, biodiversity loss, climate disruption, water availability) that threaten economic activity and the stability of society.
Will you be one of the companies that manage to secure their long-term future by using these boundaries as a lever for sustainable transformation and a competitive advantage?
Learn more:
- “The strongest constraints on companies are not their voluntary commitments, but planetary boundaries”, Le Monde, opinion piece by Hélène Bernicot, CEO of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, and Guillaume Desnoës, co-founder of Alenvi, 11/07/2023
- “What are ecosystem services and their types”, Dr Emily Greenfield, SigmaEarth, 12/29/2023
Sources:
- “A safe operating space for humanity”, Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chapin, III, F.S., Lambin, E., Lenton, T.M., Scheffer, M., Folke, C., Schellnhuber, H., Nykvist, B., De Wit, C.A., Hughes, T., van der Leeuw, S., Rodhe, H., Sörlin, S., Snyder, P.K., Costanza, R., Svedin, U., Falkenmark, M., Karlberg, L., Corell, R.W., Fabry, V.J., Hansen, J., Walker, B.H., Liverman, D., Richardson, K., Crutzen, C., Foley. J. (2009), Stockholm Resilience Centre, 09/23/2009
- “France facing the 9 planetary boundaries”, French Ministry of Ecology, 10/06/2023
- “Simplified summary of the IPCC's 6th report”, The Shift Project, 05/09/2023