Change in biosphere integrity
The decline in the diversity, extent, and health of living organisms and ecosystems, threatens the biosphere’s ability to co-regulate the state of the planet by impacting the energy balance and chemical cycles on Earth.
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The biosphere consists of all living organisms on Earth. Climate change, habitat loss, industrial agriculture and pollution have resulted in a huge loss of biodiversity. Healthy, biodiverse ecosystems support our food systems, and take carbon from the atmosphere. so can also help mitigate the effects of climate change.
Latest News On Biosphere Integrity
Impact
The impacts of losing the integrity and functioning of the biosphere are hard to overstate.
The biosphere co-regulates the overall state of the Earth on many levels, as it is closely tied into our planet’s chemical cycles and energy balances. The loss of vital services provided by ecosystems also has the potential to deprive our societies of irreplaceable sources of food and feed, energy, materials and medicines, while destabilizing the entire Earth system.
Examples are the loss of pollinators, which are needed for more than 75% of food crops, and the loss of CO2 uptake sequestration capacity, which could significantly accelerate climate change
Control Variables
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Genetic Diversity
Maximum extinction rate compatible with preserving the genetic basis of the biosphere's ecological complexity
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Functional Integrity
Human appropriation of net primary productivity (HANPP) as a percentage of net primary production (NPP)
Drivers
Introduction on invasive species
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Harvesting and burning of biomass
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Connected Tipping Points
If the status of this Planetary Boundary continues to deteriorate, it will push many tipping elements toward tipping, including:
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The death of warm-water coral reefs
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Dieback of the Amazon and Congo rainforests
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Collapse of fisheries
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Die-off of kelp forests, seagrass and mangroves
Southern dieback of boreal forests
Drivers & Interconnections
Human activity is the central contributor to breaching the Planetary Boundaries. Our actions almost always affect the planet in many ways. We need to take a holistic view, considering a whole earth approach to the decisions that we take.
Find out more about tipping points
The most viable areas for positive transformation are in energy generation, land use and consumption of resources. All can have substantial, positive effects on maintaining our safe operating space for humanity.
The Planetary Health Check is an initiative supported by:
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