Planetary Health and Planetary Boundaries: A Unified Scientific Perspective

The publication coincides with the tenth anniversary of the 2015  Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission report, which introduced the concept of Planetary Health and Planetary Boundaries and helped establish it as an interdisciplinary field of research and practice. The current commentary reflects an evolution in scientific collaboration, as researchers from the Planetary Health and Planetary Boundaries communities work toward a more integrated approach.

“Climate change is already shaping our health reality – from allergies to infectious diseases – we have the knowledge and tools to build resilience and protect lives,” says Prof. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, Director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Helmholtz Munich and co-author of the opinion piece.

Beyond Climate Change: A Holistic Health Perspective 

Human activity affects the planet in ways that extend far beyond climate change. Earth system scientists first developed the Planetary Boundaries framework in 2009 for measuring and tracking the resilience and stability of the Earth system as humanity moves deeper into the Anthropocene. It identifies boundaries for nine critical global processes – climate change being one of them – that must be respected to stay in the “safe operating space” that conveys a high likelihood of keeping Earth’s functions in a state similar to the conditions within which human societies have flourished over the past 10,000 years. A 2023 assessment indicates six of nine Planetary Boundaries are currently transgressed, which means increasing risk of destabilizing Earth’s life-support systems. 

Ample evidence now shows that Earth system change poses significant challenges to human health – from impacts on air quality and water supply to food production, infectious disease exposure, and community habitability. Changes to the Earth system already affect all dimensions of health and are expected to account for a large share of the global burden of disease in the coming decades. These concerns gave rise to Planetary Health, which is focused on analyzing and addressing the impacts of human disruptions to Earth’s natural systems on human health and identifying solutions that stabilize the Earth system while ensuring health, equity, and justice for all. 

“Ten years ago, the Planetary Health community coalesced around the understanding that we cannot have healthy people on an ailing planet,” co-author Sam Myers, MD, says. “Today, this collaboration with Planetary Boundaries researchers represents a further maturation of our field, a coming together of the Earth science and public health communities in recognition that the Earth crisis has become a global health crisis and that safeguarding a livable future for humanity requires stabilizing the Earth system. We now have the scientific framework to systematically connect Earth system stability with human health." 

“Human health depends on a stable Earth system. By acting now, we can turn this planetary health emergency into an opportunity for prevention, justice, and well-being for all,” Traidl-Hoffmann explains.

Four Cornerstones for Action 

The commentary highlights the importance of integrated monitoring, policies centered on equity, and communication strategies that extend beyond the scientific community. It identifies four key areas considered essential by both researchers and practitioners:

• Earth system and human health monitoring: Systematic investigation of health impacts from Earth system changes, with continually updated evidence to assess threats and inform decision-making.   
• Justice-centered policy: Ensuring universal access to essential resources for everyone while simultaneously addressing the disproportionate impact of Earth system changes on future generations, Indigenous peoples and marginalized communities, who are least responsible for destabilizing the Earth system.  
• True cost and benefit accounting: Revealing the hidden health costs of environmental destruction and the true benefits of safeguarding nature’s contributions to people to identify efficient changes – for example, transforming the global food system would cost substantially less than current hidden costs. 
• Integrated communication: Building understanding that environmental problems threaten everyone's health, security, and prosperity, while providing pathways for collective action. 

“As physician, I see the symptoms – heat stress, respiratory diseases, allergy epidemic – but science gives us the prescription: systemic change for a healthier planet and healthier people,“ notes Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann.