Grand (meta) challenges in planetary health: environmental, social, and cognitive

Planetary health is an exciting idea. Over 3,200 other known stars are orbited by planets; many await discovery (1). Even if life proves common, our civilization, created by primates with a complicated family tree (2), is precious. Its durability requires stewardship (3, 4). Yet, it is at risk, particularly from conflict, perhaps worsened by artificial “intelligence”, including “Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems” (5).

Civilization evolved during the Holocene—the current interglacial, following a much longer Ice Age. Until recently, this was regarded as destined to soon terminate (driven by orbital changes), but increased energy in the Earth system, trapped by rising greenhouse gases, may now postpone this for scores of millennia (6).

Technology has transformed our planet during the Anthropocene, the human-dominated era (4). While this has benefitted most humans (though few other species), some change has been accidental, such as the initial accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Note that the scale of current GHG emissions can no longer be considered inadvertent. Until recently, it was believed that pollution due to human activities could cause only local harm but it is now understood that the linked Earth–human system has many limits and thresholds, vulnerable to human pollution and other actions (7).

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