The limits of the Earth - the planetary boundary model

Hi everyone,

So today we're talking about a model that was introduced in 2009 and has offered a new perspective to thinking about environmental issues.

The planetary boundary model has 9 boundaries, each has a safe zone. Once the safe zone is exceeded, the stable conditions on our planet are considered at risk, and there can be severe and possibly irreversible changes. The nine boundaries are considered separate however, they greatly affect each other.

Novel Entities describes the introduction and accumulation of man-made novel chemical compounds. These include pesticides, nuclear waste and microplastics.

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion refers to the depletion of the ozone layer which was a major problem in the 90s.

Atmospheric Aerosol Loading is air particle pollution.

Ocean Acidification is self-explanatory.

The boundary Biochemical Flows is composed of two separate boundaries; nitrogen and phosphorus. Both of the elements are vital for plant growth. They are therefore removed from the atmosphere/soil and turned into fertilisers which normally just wash away in the rain and pollute nearby waterways.

Freshwater Use is also split into two separate boundaries. The first is green water, which describes all water absorbed in soils, crops, plants and forests. This is sometimes called invisible water. The second is blue water, which describes water in rivers, lakes and streams, often known as visible water.

The process of turning natural habitats such as rainforests and grasslands into agricultural land is known as Land-System Change.

The two boundaries that make up Biosphere Integrity are functional and genetic.

The last boundary is probably the best known; Climate Change. Here there are two boundaries, CO2 levels and radiative forcing.

Planetary boundary model 2022

So now that we've covered the different boundaries, let's look at how much at risk they are of being exceeded. Here comes the sad news, six of the nine boundaries have now been crossed. Here's a brief overview of when which boundary left its safe zone. You can see these same years as a infographic here.

When introduced in 2009, biosphere integrity (at this point only one goal), climate change (also only one goal) and the nitrogen part of biochemical flows were already exceeded. Novel entities and atmospheric aerosol loading were not yet accessed.

In 2015, biosphere integrity was split into two boundries and land-system change and the phosphorus part of biochemical flows also left the safe zone. Novel entities and atmospheric aerosol loading still weren't accessed.

This year, 2023, all 9 boundaries were assessed for the first time. Climate change has been split into its separate boundaries, ocean acidification is worryingly close to leaving the safe zone. Both boundaries of freshwater use and novel entities have left the safe zone.

The only boundary which has got better is stratospheric ozone depletion. If this model had existed in the 1990s then the ozone depletion would have been out of the safe area. But regulations and initiatives have lead this boundary to now be the furthest from leaving its safe zone than all the rest.

One of the best things about this model is that it shows that the environmental crisis is so much more than just climate change. It shows how in every aspects, there is work to do and with the example of ozone depletion also shows that we can make a difference. We hope you enjoyed this post.

Your Green World Blog Team💚

Sources:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1259855
https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2023-09-13-all-planetary-boundaries-mapped-out-for-the-first-time-six-of-nine-crossed.html
https://planetaryinternational.com/2021/07/lets-discuss-the-9-planetary-boundaries/
https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html

Image:
Designed by Azote for Stockholm Resilience Centre, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Comments

Deforestation and why it’s a problem

Hi everyone, Welcome back to another post. Today we’ll be talking about deforestation and its impacts on our earth. Deforestation, the widespread clearance of natural forests, has been happening for thousands of years. One example is Western Europe, where, two millennia ago, 80% of the land was cloaked in dense forest cover. However, over time, a significant portion of this green expanse was sacrificed to create room for crops, livestock grazing, and as a source of fuel and building materials. Presently, a mere 34% of Western Europe retains its woodland. Today, the tropics deal with the brunt of deforestation. Activities such as mining, agriculture, road construction, and the establishment of vast cattle ranches drive the mass clearance of tropical rainforests. This results in the release of huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, exacerbating the global climate crisis. The consequences come in two waves: first, the reduced number of...

Ways to help make your household environmentally friendly

We have told you a bit about the problems that the environment is facing in previous posts but we haven’t told you how to help the environment around the house. You don’t even need a garden to make a difference! Ways to help stop global warming Tip 1: Turn the lights off when you leave a room. Tip 2: Walk or cycle on short journeys. Tip 3: Don’t have the windows open and the heaters on at the same time. Tip 4: Never leave your engine running Tip 5: If you can, buy an electric car as these produce less Co2. Ways to help stop plastic pollution Tip 1: Buy a water bottle. It seems simple but every year the UK uses an estimated 13 billion plastic bottles. Tip 2: Use a bar of soap and a bar of shampoo instead of shower gel and bottled shampoo. Some say soap can dry your skin out but if you do your research you can find plastic-free high-quality soap, perhaps at a price but it depends on where you get it from. Tip 3: Make...

A Few Apps That May Help You Protect The Environment And Recognise What You See!

Hi Everyone! Today I wanted to share a few apps that have helped me in my mission to be as plastic free as possible and recognising plants and birds. They are all 100% free! The first app we have already mentioned- Refill . It is one of my personal favourites. It was originally made to tell you where you can Refill your water bottle for free when out and about but they have recently expanded to showing shops you can refill your coffee, buy loose products and other functions I haven't got the hang of yet! You can set a reminder to a certain time so you remember to walk out the door with your water bottle. It is all in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic bottles we purchase. At the moment it isn't as useful as usually though as we aren't going anywhere! This is a screenshot of a random place in Taunton. You can see there are three refill stations here! ...

Photo Essay || Iceland Series (part 1)

Hi Everyone! I recently went on a school trip to Iceland! It was such an incredible experience (and I'm going to sound cheesy now) but it was also incredible to do it with some of my closest friends! I saw so many incredible things and learnt so much, so I couldn't resist sharing a little Iceland mini series of posts, all about Iceland, both my experiences there and what I saw, but also the way it uses geothermal energy, and the animals, natural landforms and plants that are there. Today I'm sharing some photos of my trip. These are all photos I have taken, and are also the highlights so please bear that in mind as you browse these! I hope it is interesting and inspires you to book a trip to Iceland! The blue lagoon <33 landscapes.... Lost little farmhouses a...

Ozone layer

Hi everyone, What even is ozone? And the ozone layer? Where does the hole in the ozone layer come from and what does it mean? Is it dangerous? What can be done? Often the ozone-talk can be complicated and confusing, keeping an overview is hard and understanding all the problems always difficult. Let us break it down a bit for you: What is the ozone layer? We'll start with the basics: The ozone layer is part of the stratosphere, which is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere, between 10 and 50 km above the Earth's surface and made up of protective gases. One of these protective gases is ozone. There is not much ozone in the atmosphere, only 0.3 molecule of ozone per 1 million molecules of air. This is because ozone is chemically unstable and only forms when ultra violet radiation (UV light) hits oxygen and breaks the bonds between the atoms. It fact it is so unstable that even when it has formed, it breaks down again relatively quickly. This leads to ozone turning back ...

January 2021 Factfile - a bit of news from the past month and more!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to the first monthly fact file! We are going to share a news article from last month as well as animals and more! News You might have heard that the UK has authorised the use of a pesticide harmful to bees. It has been authorised for use on sugar beet with their excuse being to do with the virus yellows disease. But bees are in serious decline and this is not going to help. It is authorised for emergency use and only in specific conditions but, in our eyes, that doesn't make it okay. Farmers need bees to pollinate crops and now they are killing them with a horrible pesticide. What do you think? We would love your opinions below! For more information on bees in our honey bee post click here . We have also found an article about some Indonesian monkeys from the island of Bali who steal anything expensive, that tourists have because they know they will get a reward! They know which items have the most value and wi...

04.10.2020 Animal of The Week: Orca

Hello everyone. This week's animal of the week is Orca. They are also known as killer whales. Habitat Orcas live all over the world. They migrate according to where their prey are. However they are more common in colder waters. Diet Orcas are at the top of the food chain and have very diverse diets, eating mainly fish but also penguins, and marine mammals such as seals, and even other whales. They hunt (and live) in groups, making them very dangerous to certain species. Dangers There are a few dangers that they face, although for now the population doesn't seem to be suffereing. Some of these are: -Hunting for entertainment as they are intelligent creatures and so appeal to people who want to test their skills. -Polluted waters can be a threat as when certain chemicals get into the orca, most likely from their prey, they can be lethal. These can get into the water by oil leaks and chemical leeches. -Prey as overfish...

Announcement: Galápagos Islands

How much do you know about the greenhouse gas effect? - Quiz

Welcome back to Green World! Today we have a quiz that will test your knowledge about the greenhouse gas effect and its effect on the world. Enjoy! Questions True or False? Carbon dioxide is the only greenhouse gas. Burning fossil feuls mostly emits ... a) methane b) nitrogen c) carbon dioxide True or False? One ppm (part per million) is the same ratio as one drop of water in 13 gallons of liquid. Which one of these is not a greenhouse gas? a) carbon dioxide b) nitrous oxide c) oxygen True or False? Some greenhouse gases are only in the atmosphere for a few years. Which sector has the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the US? a) Agriculture and other land use b) Electricity c) Industry True or False? 94% of global methane emissions come from human activities. Which sector has experienced the highest increase in...

Amazon Rainforest series - part 2: eco system and food chains

Welcome back to our Amazon mini-series! Today, we're going to talk about the eco system and food chains of the Amazon Rainforest. The eco system is very complex. If you read our last Amazon post you will know the great number of species that call the Amazon Rainforest home. The Amazon Rainforest is a very accurate name for it. Massive amounts of rain fall on the forest every year. Most of that rain is blown in from the Atlantic Ocean. The rest comes from evaporation. The rainforest is known to be full of life. It provides one of the last refuges for jaguars , harpy eagles and pink river dolphins . But the rainforest is home to many more animals than that. Everyone has heard of poison dart frogs right? In fact, the Amazon Rainforest contains 1 in 10 of all known animal species on Earth! That's a lot of animals! The Amazon is home to over 1 000 species of birds, from hummingbirds to eagles. Macaws are probably the most well...

Green World

Search This Blog