Planetary Boundaries: How to Go Beyond Carbon Impact Reduction with R&D Strategies?

Planetary boundaries as safeguards for sustainable living in a safe ecosystem

Earth is a balanced system that has been significantly disrupted by human activity since the 19th century and the Industrial Revolution. Indeed, atmospheric CO₂ levels have skyrocketed, rising from 282 ppm in 1800 to 412 ppm in 2020, leading to an extremely rapid climate change. Furthermore, biodiversity is in decline, and the species extinction rate may be 100 times higher than during previous mass extinctions.

Against this backdrop of rapid environmental change, nine planetary boundaries have been identified:

1. Climate change
2. Biodiversity loss
3. Land-use change
4. Freshwater cycle disruption
5. Nitrogen and phosphorus cycle disruption
6. Ocean acidification
7. Increased atmospheric aerosol levels
8. Ozone layer depletion
9. Introduction of novel entities into the biosphere

These planetary boundaries serve as a framework for assessing and monitoring human-induced environmental changes that could threaten ecosystem stability. Each boundary is defined by a control variable established by the scientific community— a threshold that humanity must not exceed to maintain its ability to live sustainably in a safe ecosystem.

The importance of interactions between planetary boundaries

Although these boundaries are defined separately, they interact with each other, making their analysis complex. Crossing one boundary can trigger the crossing of others, leading to a chain reaction.

For instance, ocean acidification is directly linked to rising atmospheric CO₂ levels. This increase leads to chemical reactions at the ocean’s surface, causing a rise in pH. Climate change, therefore, has a direct impact on ocean acidification.

It is thus crucial to adopt a global approach to better assess the impact of human activity on the environment, which is not always intuitive in a world primarily focused on reducing carbon emissions. While carbon reduction is essential, it is not sufficient, as it only addresses one of the nine planetary boundaries: climate change.

As of 2023, six out of the nine planetary boundaries have already been crossed: climate change, biodiversity loss, land-use change, freshwater cycle disruption, nitrogen and phosphorus cycle disruption, and the introduction of novel entities into the biosphere.

It is therefore critical to assess the impact of our activities and developments on all these boundaries to gain a comprehensive view, minimize human-induced disruptions, and safeguard Earth’s ecosystems.

Towards a more holistic approach: anticipating planetary boundary impacts as early as the R&D phase

Assessing the potential impact of products on planetary boundaries as early as the research and development (R&D) phase is essential to anticipating challenges and guiding innovation strategies effectively.

To this end, Alcimed has developed a three-step approach to quickly identify the impact of a product’s use on planetary boundaries:

1. Assess direct impacts on each boundary. This step determines whether the innovation improves, worsens, or does not affect the current situation.
2. Evaluate cross-boundary effects by assigning different weights based on impact levels.
3. Combine direct and indirect approaches to ultimately obtain an impact score for each planetary boundary.

This approach operates at two levels. At the individual project level, it highlights the key planetary boundaries impacted and serves as a starting point for further reflection on possible improvements. At the project portfolio level, it introduces a new selection criterion. Beyond carbon considerations, it helps identify projects with major environmental stakes that should be addressed on a global scale.

If you would like support in tackling these emerging challenges related to planetary boundary analysis, don’t hesitate to contact our team!

About the author

Vincent, Head of the Chemicals & Materials Business Unit at Alcimed in Paris.