Crossing Planetary Boundaries

Today's problems come from yesterday's solutions.

Crisis can Lead to Opportunity

The problem with design is that the industry only focuses on business goals, and at best, end-users. This is why I created the conscious design movement, to help us understand our place in creating a better world. 🌎 As a result of capitalism driving goals, designers were taught to work with a narrow aperture. 🔭

The reality is that we live in an ecosystem. Everything we do has an impact on people and the planet. We need to expand our mindset, collaborate, and adopt new practices that allow us to intentionally design for the entire system. Why? Because we’re reaching a global crisis point. Our predecessors have acted as if the planet doesn’t have finite resources.

We’ve now had 10 years of record breaking climate extremes. Floods in China, Bangladesh, and India. Heatwaves across the entire northern hemisphere. We risk crossing tipping points that shift the planet…to start working against us…we are destabilizing the entire planet.

— Johan Rockström

I’ve created my 2 day, Sustainable Growth Design, masterclass to teach exactly this. It is now live on Maven. I appreciate you being a part of this movement. 5 first movers will get 50% off. Come be a part of the solution. 👇🏽

1. Join the Maven Masterclass on Sustainable Growth Design

2. Join the free 5 day Sustainable Growth Challenge

---

What are the Planetary Boundaries?

Did you know Earth’s resilience goes beyond climate change?

I’ve written articles on why we need to decenter growth for the sake of growth and why digital sustainability matters. Today, let’s zoom out and talk about the Planetary Boundaries to better understand the scientific boundaries of a safe operating for the planet. 1.5 ºC is a requirement, not a suggestion. Beyond this, we cross tipping points and risk triggering points where the planet can no longer sustain us.

There are 9 planetary boundaries. The concept was first proposed in 2009 by former Stockholm Resilience Center director Johan Rockström (now at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) and a group of 28 international scientists. Since then, in Sept 2023, a team of scientists quantified all 9.

1. Climate Change - alteration of global temperature and weather patterns due to human activities, such as greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Novel Entities - new substances or modified life forms introduced into the environment by human activities, potentially causing unforeseen ecological impacts.

3. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion - depletion of the ozone layer, which protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, due to human-made chemicals.

4. Atmospheric Aerosol Loading - a concentration of microscopic particles in the atmosphere, affecting climate, weather patterns, and air quality.