7/15/25: New Commentary Connecting Planetary Boundaries & Planetary Health

Climate Change is Only Part of the Story: Scientists Align Frameworks to Address Planetary Health Emergency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC (July 15, 2025) — A new expert opinion piece in the medical journal The Lancet signifies unprecedented alignment between holistic scientific frameworks that examine how Earth system changes, ranging from global-scale biodiversity loss and pollution to climate disruption, are eroding the foundations of human health and well-being. 

The timing is significant. This month marks 10 years since a Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission report established the field and social movement of Planetary Health in 2015. Today’s commentary signals an evolution in global knowledge and collaboration as researchers from the Planetary Health and Planetary Boundaries communities align their work. 

Beyond climate change

Human activity affects the planet in ways that extend far beyond climate change. Earth system scientists first developed the Planetary Boundaries framework in 2009 to examine nine critical global processes—climate change being just one—that must function properly for humans to survive sustainably. A 2023 assessment indicates six of nine Planetary Boundaries are beyond the “safe operating space”—accelerating the risk of large-scale environmental changes that threaten human survival. 

Ample evidence shows that Earth system change poses urgent threats to human health and well-being—from air quality and water supply to food production, infectious disease exposure, and community habitability. Changes to the Earth system already impact all dimensions of health and are expected to account for the majority of the global burden of disease in the coming decades. These concerns gave rise to Planetary Health, which is focused on analyzing and addressing the impacts of destabilized natural systems on human health and identifying large-scale solutions that stabilize Earth’s natural systems while ensuring health equity and justice for all. 

“Ten years ago, the Planetary Health community coalesced around the understanding that we cannot have healthy people on an ailing planet,” co-author Sam Myers, MD, says. “Today, this collaboration with Planetary Boundaries researchers represents the maturation of our field—we now have the scientific framework to systematically connect Earth system stability with human health.” 

Four cornerstones for action

With calls for integrated monitoring, justice-centered policy, and a communication strategy that resonates beyond science, this Comment pushes for decisive shifts that both communities of researchers and practitioners see as critical, based on four cornerstones: 

• Earth system and human health monitoring: Systematic investigation of health impacts from Earth system changes, with continually updated evidence to assess threats and inform decision-making.   

• Justice-centered policy: Policies that fairly distribute environmental protection burdens and benefits with consideration to the impact to future generations, Indigenous peoples and marginalized communities, who are least responsible for destabilizing the Earth system.  

• True cost accounting: Revealing the hidden health costs of environmental destruction with transparent accounting to identify efficient changes—for example, transforming the global food system would cost substantially less than current hidden healthcare impacts. 

• Integrated communication: Building understanding that environmental problems threaten everyone’s health, security and prosperity, while providing pathways for collective action. 

“Each change in the Earth system tracked by Planetary Boundaries affects human health in documented ways. Crossing these safe boundaries will further accelerate environmental changes and amplify health risks” says Johann Rockström, co-author. “We can no longer treat these as separate issues” 

Policy focus over individual action

It’s not all “recycling and composting”— the Planetary Boundaries and Planetary Health communities indicate that major societal shifts, through large-scale, policy changes rather than individuals’ daily lifestyle decisions, are necessary to adequately address this urgent, global challenge. This strategic alignment of scientific frameworks provides policymakers with concrete pathways through implementation of what the authors call ‘Planetary Health-in-All-Policies’—ensuring every government decision considers both human health and Earth system stability.  

The commentary calls for urgent transformation across food, energy, and economic systems to address what researchers describe as humanity’s greatest health challenge. 

“With the evidence clear and the tools now available, the question isn’t whether transformation is possible, but whether we’ll act with the speed and scale our moment demands,” Myers says. 

The Comment appears online in a July 16 issue of The Lancet. 

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For more information, contact Susan Hughes, Communications Officer, Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health, 443-538-3970

Comment Co-Authors