Climate change

Climate change is disrupting the Earth’s climate system in ways that threaten the foundations of human wellbeing. By burning fossil fuels, clearing forests, and altering the land, humanity is releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases that trap extra heat in the atmosphere. This is pushing the planet beyond its natural limits. As a result, global temperatures are increasing, ice sheets are melting, and weather patterns are becoming more extreme. Sea levels are rising, and ecosystems are under stress.

These changes increase the risk of crossing dangerous tipping points – irreversible shifts in Earth’s systems that could lock in long-term damage. Communities around the world are already experiencing more heatwaves, droughts, floods, and storms. Without urgent action, continued climate disruption risks triggering irreversible changes in Earth’s systems, undermining ecosystems, human health, and societal stability for generations to come.

Control variables

In the Planetary Boundaries Framework, Climate Change is measured using two variables: The concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere, and the extra amount of the sun’s heat that is trapped because of human activities. Both variables have exceeded their safe thresholds.

Impacts

As more heat is trapped in the Earth system, temperatures rise in the atmosphere, oceans, and on land. This leads to more extreme weather, including heatwaves, floods, droughts, and heavy rainfall. Human-driven climate change now far exceeds natural variability.

Because climate change strongly influences all other Planetary Boundaries, crossing this threshold puts the entire Earth system at risk. Staying beyond the safe zone increases the chance of irreversible changes that could affect life on Earth for generations to come.

Torrential rainfall and flooding

Extreme precipitation events are becoming more frequent and intense, causing flash floods, infrastructure damage, and disrupting transportation systems across urban and rural areas.

Sea level rise

Rising water levels threaten communities worldwide, displacing millions of people.

Heatwaves

Heatwaves are putting ecosystems under much strain, both in the ocean and on land. Record-breaking temperatures also stress human health and strain energy systems.

Wildfires

Increasingly severe fire seasons threaten wildlife and destroy vast forest areas, in turn producing significant CO₂ emissions.

Key drivers

Fossil fuel burning

Fossil fuel burning directly increases CO2 concentration, which subsequently affects the amount of heat trapped by Earth’s atmosphere.

Other greenhouse gas emissions

A second pathway involves non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, aerosols from sources such as agriculture, and changes in albedo (the refelctivity of the Earth’s surface) resulting from land-use changes and natural ecosystem degradation. Aerosols and land-use changes exemplify how the Climate Change boundary is closely linked to other Planetary Boundaries. Changes in any environmental domain can impact Climate Change, highlighting the interconnected nature of the Planetary Boundary processes.