What's happened
Study finds Earth is exceeding safe operating space for humanity in multiple key measurements of its health.
Why it matters
The study highlights the urgent need for global action to address human-caused pollution and destruction of the natural world, as the planet's life support systems are at serious risk.
What the papers say
The Guardian and The Independent emphasize the urgency of the situation, while Metro provides a concise overview of the study's findings. AP News and New York Times focus on other topics and are not included in this summary.
How we got here
The study represents the first scientific health check for the entire planet, assessing all nine planetary boundaries and finding that six have been breached due to human activity.
More on these topics
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Johan Rockström is a Swedish professor and joint director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. He is a strategist on how resilience can be built into land regions short of water, and has published over 100 papers in fields ran
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Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. According to radiometric dating estimation and other evidence, Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago.