A new study reveals that human activities have pushed Earth’s biosphere to a critical tipping point, threatening the planet’s ability to support life and prompting urgent calls for immediate global action to address the causes of climate change.

The biosphere, or biomass, includes all ecosystems and living organisms on Earth interacting with their environment, extending from the ocean depths to the highest reaches of the atmosphere, encompassing life on land, in water, and in the air.

The study highlights the critical state of Earth’s biosphere, focusing on human impact since the 17th century by using a model to track environmental changes and uncover alarming trends over the centuries.

It emphasizes the importance of biomass and carbon sinks in mitigating climate change effects and calls for comprehensive global action to balance human demands with environmental preservation.

The safety of Earth’s biosphere faces unprecedented threats, with the planet’s ability to maintain ecological balance and regulate essential environmental functions declining, according to research conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the University of Boku in Vienna.

The study, published in the journal “One Earth,” examines energy flows resulting from photosynthesis and their role in sustaining life’s vital processes.

Photosynthesis is the biological process by which plants, algae, and some microorganisms convert sunlight into chemical energy stored in food.

With increasing human demand for biomass, the findings stress the urgent need for global attention and action to understand planetary boundaries.

The concept of planetary boundaries provides a framework for assessing Earth’s environmental limits. The study relies on the 2023 update of this framework, underscoring the importance of energy flows from photosynthesis in maintaining planetary stability.

Wolfgang Lucht, head of Earth System Analysis at the University of Boku, states that these energy flows are fundamental to life on Earth. However, human activities increasingly divert a significant portion, disrupting nature’s delicate balance.

The study uses the global biosphere model, simulating water, carbon, and nitrogen flows worldwide with high precision, providing a detailed historical inventory tracing developments back to 1600 AD.

It reveals that concerning environmental changes began in the 17th century, marking a long history of human impact on Earth’s ecosystems, with the onset of overexploitation and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

The study paints a grim picture of pressures on Earth’s ecosystems over the past century, noting that by 1900, large areas of global land had exceeded safe environmental boundaries.

According to the study, 37% of these areas were fragile and 14% in high-risk zones. Today, these figures have risen to 60% and 38%, respectively.

These statistics highlight the accelerating impact of industrialization, land misuse since the Industrial Revolution, and depletion of planetary resources and ecosystems.

Despite the alarming results, researchers describe the study as a scientific achievement offering crucial insights into the interaction between natural resource exploitation and environmental impact.

The study also highlights the transgression of planetary capacity limits, primarily driven by agricultural expansion and unsustainable resource use.

One of the key findings is the interconnection between biomass and natural carbon sinks such as rainforests and oceans in mitigating climate change effects.

Johan Rockström, director of the Biosphere Protection Institute and co-author of the study, emphasizes the importance of treating biosphere protection and climate action as a single issue.

The research indicates that by protecting biomass and enhancing carbon sinks, governments can play a pivotal role in addressing global climate challenges.

Recognizing the link between biomass and carbon sinks enables policymakers to develop strategies that promote environmental sustainability and climate change resilience.

With increasing pressure on Earth’s ecosystems and the complexities of sustainable development in a constantly changing world, balancing growing human needs with the preservation of natural resources and ecosystems requires concerted efforts from countries, NGOs, scientists, and peoples alike.