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Aligning Frameworks

Planetary Boundaries & Planetary Health

Bringing together Planetary Boundaries and Planetary Health demonstrates why a resilient and stable Earth system is crucial for human health.

Read the Commentary

Photograph by Eric Kronstadt

We now have the scientific framework to systematically connect Earth system stability with human health.

Sam Myers
Founding Director, Planetary Health Alliance

What are the Planetary Boundaries?

Credit: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Planetary Boundaries Defined

The Planetary Boundaries are the “safety limits” for Earth’s life-support systems. First outlined by Earth System scientists in 2009, the framework tracks how human activity is affecting nine critical processes that keep our planet stable. Today, seven of the nine boundaries have been crossed, threatening the stability of the natural systems that sustain life.

Planetary Health intersects with the Planetary Boundaries framework and recognizes that a livable future depends on keeping Earth’s systems within safe limits.

Learn more about Planetary Boundaries

Discover Earth System Status

Photograph by Yasmina Ahdab

Interconnections

A July 2025 expert opinion piece in the medical journal The Lancet signifies unprecedented alignment among holistic scientific frameworks that examine how Earth system changes – from global-scale biodiversity loss and pollution to climate disruption – are eroding the foundations of human health and well-being.

The piece calls for:

  • Earth system and human health monitoring
  • Justice-centered policy
  • True cost and benefit accounting
  • Integrated communication

Mapping the Health Impacts of the Planetary Boundaries

The Lancet commentary includes a table displaying the evidence on how each Planetary Boundary affects different elements of health.

Our research library contains all the citations in that original table, as well as additional relevant research. Scroll down and then use the filters to search for references that link a particular Planetary Boundary (e.g., novel entities) to a specific type of health impact (e.g., nutritional diseases).

Visualizing the Planetary Boundaries and Planetary Health

This graphic illustrates how underlying drivers contribute to breaches in the Planetary Boundaries. Proximate causes reflect the ways those changes in environmental systems interact and create exposures that can harm or benefit health and well-being. Modifying factors affect the extent to which those proximate causes translate into health impacts. Download in either PNG (140KB) or PDF (100KB).

This outer globe shows the nine Planetary Boundaries that regulate the Earth system, including land-system change, ocean acidification, and climate change. This graphic depicts how those ecological factors drive health impacts (shown inside the heart shape) ranging from nutritional diseases to direct injuries and from infectious diseases to mental health. Download in either PNG (2MB) or PDF (5MB).

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The commentary was released in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health report, which also inspired additional stories.

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Planetary Health Check 2025

Collaboration and Partnerships Research and Evaluation

Planetary Health Check 2025

The Planetary Health Check assesses the planetary boundaries–the nine processes that are known to regulate the stability, resilience, and life-support functions of our planet. Seven have now been breached, and for the first time, ocean acidification has tipped over, threatening reefs, fisheries, and even the oxygen we breathe.

• Research & Reports

Sakschewski, B., Caesar, L., Andersen, L.S., et al.

Progress on Household Drinking-Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000-2024: Special Focus on Inequalities. World Health Organization.

Resource Scarcity Equity and Justice

Progress on Household Drinking-Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000-2024: Special Focus on Inequalities. World Health Organization.

WHO and UNICEF examine global progress in access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene between 2000 and 2024, highlighting gains made by billions of people worldwide. Despite these improvements, access remains uneven, with slower progress in urban areas and low-income countries.

• Research & Reports

World Health Organization and UNICEF

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