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The planetary boundaries framework defines the ecological limits within which human civilisation can safely operate. Developed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the framework identifies nine Earth-system processes that regulate the stability of the planet. As of the October 2024 “Planetary Health Check” — the most recent comprehensive assessment — Earth is operating outside the safe operating space in six of the nine boundaries. Målbar follows these developments and keeps this information updated as new assessments are published.

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The nine planetary boundaries

The increase in greenhouse gas emissions from human activities is raising global temperatures, leading to extreme weather events, sea level rise, and disruption of ecosystems that support human life.
The loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems are eroding the planet’s capacity to support life and maintain critical ecological functions, including pollination, water filtration, and carbon storage.
The release of substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has depleted the ozone layer, allowing harmful ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth’s surface and damage living organisms.
As oceans absorb excess CO₂ from the atmosphere, their pH decreases. This acidification harms marine organisms — particularly those with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons — and disrupts marine food webs.
Excessive use of fertilisers and the release of industrial pollutants are disrupting the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. These disruptions affect ecosystem health, biodiversity, and water quality at a global scale.
The conversion of natural habitats — forests, wetlands, grasslands — for agriculture, urbanisation, and resource extraction is a leading driver of biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
Unsustainable extraction and management of freshwater resources is causing water scarcity in many regions, as well as broader ecosystem degradation where river flows, lakes, and groundwater are depleted beyond natural replenishment rates.
The release of particulate matter and other aerosol pollutants into the atmosphere influences regional climate patterns, reduces air quality, and has well-documented negative effects on human health.
The introduction of synthetic chemicals, plastics, pharmaceutical residues, and other novel substances into the environment creates risks that are difficult to quantify because the long-term effects on ecosystems and human health remain poorly understood.

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Current status

As of the October 2024 Planetary Health Check, 6 of the 9 boundaries have been transgressed. The degree of pressure on all boundaries continues to increase due to human activity.
The six boundaries currently exceeded are: Climate Change, Biosphere Integrity, Biogeochemical Flows, Land-System Change, Freshwater Use, and Novel Entities.

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Why planetary boundaries matter for LCA

LCA, and PEF in particular, measures impact across 16 environmental impact categories — many of which map directly onto planetary boundaries. When you calculate a product footprint in Målbar, you are measuring contribution to several of these global limits, not just climate change.
A PEF single score aggregates all 16 impact categories into one number. This provides a more complete view of a product’s environmental burden — including impacts on water, land, and ecosystems — alongside the climate impact measured in CO₂eq.
Use the multi-category view in Målbar to understand which planetary boundaries your product’s supply chain is most relevant to — not just climate, but also water use, land use, and resource flows.

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Målbar’s commitment to current data

Målbar monitors updates from the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Potsdam Institute and updates the underlying data and context in this documentation as new assessments are published.

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Download the illustration

Planetary Boundaries illustration (PDF)

Download the Målbar Academy visual explainer for the nine planetary boundaries.