Earth's life-support systems are in peril — and they're getting worse — but although the window for action is closing, we still have a chance to give our planet a sustainable future, a new report finds.
The report, called "Planetary Health Check 2026," was written by more than 60 scientists and assessed the state of interconnected natural systems, or planetary boundaries, upon which Earth's stability and resilience depend. When these boundaries are crossed, researchers say there's an increasing risk of serious and irreversible harm.
According to the report, seven of the nine identified planetary boundaries have already been breached, including climate change, ocean acidification and biosphere integrity. Niklas Kitzmann, lead editor of the report, likened assessing these planetary boundaries to giving Earth a blood test — and getting alarming results.
"If you had a patient with a blood test that looks like this, you would send them to the ICU right away," Kitz...
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