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Planetary boundaries explained

Turning science into environmental protection

What are the limits of our planet – and how can we reclaim a safe operating space? Earth system scientist Katherine Richardson and Siemens’ Johannes Auer explore the concept of planetary boundaries and what it means for industry, innovation, and Siemens’ environmental responsibility.

In 2025, a team of researchers published a landmark update to the planetary boundaries framework which defines nine critical processes where human activities affect the earth system functioning. Their conclusion was alarming:

“The 2025 planetary health check revealed that seven out of nine boundaries have already been crossed: climate change, biosphere integrity, ocean acidification, freshwater change, land-system change, biogeochemical flows, and novel entities,” says Johannes Auer. “So, did the wake-up call come too late? Are we already out of time?”

For Katherine Richardson, one of the scientists behind the framework, the answer is more nuanced than it might seem.

“While it’s true that crossing these boundaries is deeply concerning, it doesn’t mean all hope is lost or that we’re out of time,” she says. “Think of planetary boundaries like blood pressure. If your blood pressure goes up, you don’t necessarily face a crisis in that moment – but your risk of serious health problems rises sharply.”

“It’s exactly the same here,” she continues. “Crossing a planetary boundary doesn’t always lead to immediate disaster, but it means we’re moving into a danger zone where the stability and predictability of the systems that support life – and our economies – can no longer be taken for granted.”

Johannes Auer

Johannes Auer is responsible for product-related environmental protection at Siemens. His core competencies include Ecodesign methodology, Life Cycle Assessment, and Environmental Footprinting.

Defining the safe operating space

The blood pressure comparison goes further than a simple analogy. Just as doctors define recommended blood pressure levels to mark the range where our bodies function safely, the planetary boundaries indicate the range within which Earth’s systems remain stable and predictable.

“In climate policy, for example, the boundary is reflected in the 1.5 - 2-degree target from the Paris Agreement,” Richardson explains. “It’s a marker for the ‘safe operating space’ for humanity. If we stay within these limits, we keep risks manageable. The more boundaries we cross, the more we gamble with the systems that underpin everything from food and water security to economic stability.”

For Auer, this framing resonates directly with how businesses need to think about risk.

“That comparison to blood pressure makes the risks very tangible,” he says. “For us in business, it emphasizes that early warnings matter – and that responding before the ‘’system fails’ is critical.”

Living within limits

Richardson stresses that Earth is the system we live within and affect through our actions.

“Earth is a single, interconnected system – where biology, geology, physics, and human activity all interact to create the conditions we rely on,” she says. “It’s important to understand that we’re not separate from this system, and there’s nothing ‘outside’ of it: Earth doesn’t have an umbilical cord. Everything life needs is already here, except energy from the sun.”

“So we know resources are limited., and we are witnessing that our use of these resources – and the waste we leave behind – changes how the planet works,” she adds. “We’re seeing the impact everywhere, such as in climate change and biodiversity loss.”

This understanding, Richardson argues, is precisely why boundaries matter – and why our understanding about operating sustainably needs to shift.

“It’s not about ‘protecting the planet’ as something separate from us, but about preserving the conditions that allow us to thrive,” she says. “Sustainable development means accepting these limits and reconnecting our actions with the world around us, rather than treating them as externalities.”

Fostering biodiversity and resilience

While global efforts on carbon emissions have gained momentum in recent years, Richardson points to a critical area where progress has been far slower: biodiversity.

“In the last years we’ve made progress by developing robust metrics and targets for carbon emissions, but now it’s essential to do the same for biodiversity as climate change and biosphere integrity are the core boundaries we must respect,” she says. “But we are still significantly behind in tackling biodiversity loss compared to climate change, partly because it’s so much more complex to measure.”

The stakes, she warns, are existential in a way that even climate change is not.

“It’s not enough to simply measure losses – we need to understand how these losses disrupt entire ecosystems,” Richardson says. “The urgency couldn’t be greater: while restoring Earth’s energy balance after climate change may take millennia, a species lost to extinction is gone forever. That’s why we must take full account of land use, resource extraction, and every impact throughout our value chains.”

For Auer, this urgency reinforces a fundamental business case.

Portraitfoto-Katherine-Richardson

Katherine Richardson is Professor of Biological Oceanography at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, and leader of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ocean, Climate, and Society (ROCS). She is an Earth System Scientist and is among the developers of the Planetary Boundaries Framework, and currently serves as Chair of the European Commission’s Expert group on the economic and societal impact of research and innovation (ESIR).

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At Siemens we assume our responsibility to support a digital and sustainability transformation: More than 90% of our business enables customers to achieve a positive sustainability impact. This responsibility begins at the product design stage as up to 80% of all product-related environmental impacts are determined during the design phase.

“And that really is a question of resilience,” he says. “As resource scarcity comes into play, it’s clear we need to become much more circular. Efficiency in how we use and reuse resources isn’t just a sustainability advantage – it makes solid economic sense, too. There are compelling arguments for increasing circularity and resource efficiency, not merely for sustainability’s sake, but for long-term economic development and stability.”

Embedding circular design principles

Richardson takes the argument further. The challenge, she says, is not simply to reduce harm but to fundamentally rethink how we design products and systems.

“It’s very important to realize that no product, solution, or process is inherently sustainable,” she says. “How we use it and how we design it determines whether it contributes to a more sustainable economy.”

“The interesting thing is that nature shows us how to design for living within limited resources – it designed the original circular economy,” she continues. “In nature, waste isn’t a design flaw – it’s part of the system. When one organism produces waste, others are designed or have evolved to break it down and cycle its components back into use.”

The contrast with human systems, she notes, is stark.

“In contrast, many of our human-made products and systems are still designed in ways that leave waste behind – like greenhouse gases or synthetic chemicals. Actually, six of the nine boundaries are about waste – what we release and leave behind. The design challenge is clear: we already know what needs to be done for these – reduce, or better yet, eliminate the waste we’re putting into the air, water, and soil.”

This challenge is shaping how we approach product development and design. Auer points to our commitment at Siemens to applying Ecodesign across our entire portfolio.

An infographic about resource efficiency and circularity with a focus on sustainable practices and reducing waste.

We are decoupling growth from resource consumption. We do this by creating technologies that extend asset lifecycles, while enhancing performance, availability, and utilization. We also focus on optimizing resource use, eliminating waste, and conserving water and biodiversity. And we lead by example: Our Robust Eco Design approach covers 67% of our relevant hardware, software, and service portfolio in fiscal 2025.

“This is exactly where our Ecodesign approach and strong ambition come in: We are now striving to apply Robust Eco Design for 100% of relevant products across our hardware, software, and service portfolio by 2030,” he says. ”This means not only designing products, software and services that minimize environmental impact, but also strengthen our ability to adapt and thrive in a changing world.”

“It’s not just about designing fewer bad products and systems – it’s about creating genuinely good ones,” Auer adds. “That means aiming for eco-effective solutions that actively contribute to positive environmental outcomes. At Siemens, we’re committed to exploring this further by moving beyond mere minimization of harm and instead developing products and systems that deliver real benefits for both customers and planet.”

Driving innovation

For Richardson, the path forward begins with a shared vision for the planet’s future.

“We have the vision – it’s now up to us to innovate our way towards it,” she says. “Of course, there will be bumps along the road; sustainable development is always a compromise and a balancing act. But humanity has never before faced the challenge of creating a collective vision for the planet.”

“It all comes down to innovation,” Richardson says. “Understanding these boundaries isn’t about limiting ourselves – it helps us focus our efforts and creativity exactly where the world needs it most. Our task now is to honor and safeguard our planet through bold, thoughtful innovation.”