On September 25, 2025, the Planetary Boundaries Science Lab at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) issued a report stating that 7 out of 9 planetary boundaries have crossed safe limits, the latest being the overshoot of ocean acidification acceptable threshold. So, we needed to update our homepage to reflect that not 6, but 7 of these planetary boundaries are now above safe threshold.
Caused by human activities, damage to the planetary boundaries is a way to quantify the negative impact and alteration of environmental functions that are vital to all living beings such as transforming organic waste into fertilizer, maintaining water cycle, conserving biodiversity and food chain.
There are 9 planetary boundaries, below is a representation by Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) from 2024, before the ocean acidification was deemed above safe threshold.
One of the key takeaways from this view is that Climate Change, which is usually the center of attention, is only one of the boundaries that could threaten the well-being of humans, plants and animals. So, as much as we need to ensure that climate remains within Safe Operating Space, all kinds of damages to the environment should be contained.
At Écocé™, we aim at tackling a multitude of environmental and social issues – any of the planetary boundaries, any of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is important. Climate Change is the most commonly heard of, and probably the most critical planetary boundary for the long-term and widespread consequences, but we can’t disregard any of the other challenges that we are facing. Especially because they are all interconnected and any progress on some aspect will have positive repercussions on others. Conversely, regression on environmental and social protection measures could lead to negative feedback loops, multiplying the losses.
Minimizing the use of natural ressources, energy or materials, to strictly what we need, is our ultimate goal. Technical aspects such as circular economy or energy efficiency have a tremendous impact, but so do societal changes. We need both to alleviate pressure on our environment and communities, and prevent any further damages that will take us further away from the safe thresholds of the planetary boundaries.
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