by Liam Gilliver
It’s published
Humans are pushing planets “beyond the limits of safe operating space” as yet another important Earth system boundary is broken.
Awful new report reveals planetary things Ocean acidification – Where water pH drops due to absorption – For the first time I’ve entered the danger zone.
2025 Planet Health CheckPublished by the Potsdam Institute’s Planetary Boundary Science Institute at Potsdam Institute at Potsdam Climate Impact Research (PIK), warning that seven of the nine important Earth system boundaries have been violated since last year.
The facility condemns “new developments” regarding burning fossil fuels, deforestation and land use changes, claiming that the triple is decreasing the ocean’s ability to “act as a stabilizer for the Earth.”
Why is the ocean so important?
“The oceans are becoming more acidic, oxygen levels are lowered, and ocean heat waves are increasing,” says Lebke Caesar, co-leader of the Institute for Planetary Boundary Science.
“This puts pressure on systems essential to stabilizing planet Earth’s conditions. This enhanced acidification is primarily due to fossil fuel emissions, affecting everything from coastal fisheries to open oceans, along with warming and deoxygenation.”
Caesar adds that the outcome of ocean acidification will be “outward” and affect problems such as. Food insecurityglobal climate stability and human happiness.
Since the start of the industrial era, sea level pH has decreased by about 0.1 units, and acidity has skyrocketed by 30-40%. This already shows the thyroid glands (small sea snails) showing signs of damage to the shell.
While this may seem unimportant, they are important food sources for many species, and experts say their decline can affect the entire food chain.
“The oceans are our planet’s life support system,” says Dr. Sylvia Earl, a well-known oceanographer and planet guardian. “Without a healthy ocean, there are no healthy planets.
“For billions of years, the oceans have been the great stabilizer of the Earth. It supports oxygen production, climate formation, and diversity in life. Today, acidification is a flashing red warning light on the Earth’s stability dashboard.
Planetary Boundaries: What are they and which one is violated?
Planetary boundary science was launched in 2023 to address key gaps in understanding and monitoring the Earth’s systems. It was built The nine boundaries It says, “We must remain within safe limits to keep humanity safe and the natural world resilient.
Scientists monitor these boundaries, similar to doctor health checks, to track the state of the planet.
They include climate change (long-term changes in global temperature and weather patterns), biosphere integrity (the overall health, function, and resilience of the Earth’s living system), changes in land systems (from human-driven activities such as agriculture), freshwater use, biogeochemical flows, and new entities (entities such as synthetic chemicals). Microplastics), ocean acidification, ozone depletion (thinning the Earth’s protective layer) and aerosol loads (air pollution).
Following the latest report, only two boundaries remain within the safe boundaries: aerosol loads and the stratospheric ozone layer.
“We are witnessing a widespread decline in planetary health, but this is not an inevitable outcome,” said Johann Lockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute at the Climate Impact Institute.
“Aerosol contamination and reduced ozone layer healing indicate that it is possible to turn the direction of global development. Even if the diagnosis is miserable, the window of treatment is still not open. Failure is inevitable. Failure is a choice.”