Researchers warn that seven of the nine planetary boundaries have been exceeded/ The state of the Earth continues to deteriorate

The “Planetary Health Check 2026” report, produced by more than 60 scientists and published during Climate Week, shows that seven of the Earth’s nine planetary boundaries have been breached. Researchers warn that these thresholds, essential to the planet’s stability and resilience, increase the risk of serious and irreversible damage.

The most recently breached boundaries are climate change, ocean acidification, freshwater change, land-system change, biogeochemical flows, the introduction of novel entities and biosphere integrity. Only the ozone layer and global aerosol loading remain within the zone considered safe.

The 2026 edition makes no major changes to the boundaries compared with last year, but finds that the condition of systems already under pressure continues to worsen. Climate change, chemical pollution and biodiversity loss are in the danger zone.

The report highlights risks to the Amazon, the seafloor and coral reefs, as well as the intensification of extreme events. The authors say there is still a window to reverse the trend, but action to reduce emissions and protect nature must be accelerated in the coming years.