Planetary Health Check 2024

It is with great passion and commitment that I introduce this inaugural Planetary Health Check. This report marks a significant step forward in our collective mission to understand and protect the stability, resilience and life-support systems. This is the first of many annual editions to come and represents a solid starting point for the journey ahead.

Our dedicated team has worked tirelessly to bring this initial version to life, and will continue to improve it by advancing and synthesizing our ongoing Planetary Boundaries research. Recognizing the importance of timely and comprehensive updates, we aim to make a massive stepchange in the frequency, synthesis, and depth of advancing Planetary Boundaries science — from updates every 6-8 years to annual reports. This will allow us to integrate the latest Earth Observation data and provide the most current insights.

As this research and its communication is of outstanding importance, we recently initiated Planetary Boundaries Science (PBScience). This growing international partnership is committed to deepening our understanding and assessment of the Earth system and providing pathways of how we can navigate our future on Earth. Critical to this endeavor is science-based communications of why and how we now need to become stewards of the entire Earth system.

A unique feature of PBScience is that it serves as the foundation for the Planetary Guardians: global leaders from all walks of life mobilized to be ambassadors for our planet, with a focus on protecting and managing Earth’s life support within the Safe Operating Space of Planetary Boundaries.

In the future, our goal is to translate science into action, ranging from governance of Planetary Boundaries to guiding investments in finance and business. We are on a scientific mission to develop a Planetary Boundaries Monitor — a control room for Planet Earth. We envision a world where Planetary Boundaries are respected, ensuring a safe and sustainable future for all.

We invite new partners to join us in this critical endeavor. Your involvement can make a significant difference in helping us provide the most up-to-date information possible and in driving the global response needed to safeguard our planet.

I want to highlight that this report is written to be accessible to a broad audience. While we have firmly based it on rigorous scientific publications — recommended for further reading — to ensure scientific integrity, we have also made some simplifications to make the information easier to understand.

Thank you for your interest in this pivotal topic. Your engagement and support are vital as we work together to protect our planet for future generations. Let’s embrace this journey with enthusiasm and a shared commitment to positive change.