Life on Earth depends on a delicate balance between ecosystems like rainforests, glaciers, oceans, and volcanoes, along with interconnected climate cycles. Around a decade ago, Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), introduced the concept of "nine planetary boundaries"—tipping points beyond which Earth's ecosystems may no longer sustain life. In the 2024 Planetary Health Check Report, Rockström revealed that six of these boundaries have already been breached, and a seventh is nearing collapse due to human activities, posing a severe threat to life on Earth.
Representative Image Source: A conceptual image of Earth with one half showing lush greenery and the other half showing dry, cracked soil, representing environmental contrast. (Getty Images)
These findings were published in Science Advances. According to the Global Commons Alliance, the nine planetary boundaries include “biosphere integrity, climate change, land-system change, freshwater use, nutrient cycles, ocean acidification, aerosol pollution, ozone depletion, and novel entities like plastic pollutants.” Of these, six have already been disrupted, and the seventh—ocean acidification—is nearing its critical threshold, according to the 2023 health-check report.
“Our updated diagnosis shows that vital organs of the Earth system are weakening, leading to a loss of resilience and rising risks of crossing tipping points. Six of the nine planetary boundaries are transgressed and put into context in the report by high-resolution spatial maps of local and regional trends for all nine boundaries. The message is clear, local actions impact the planet, and a planet under pressure can impact everyone, everywhere. Securing human well-being, economic development, and stable societies requires a holistic approach where the protection of the planet takes center stage,” Levke Caesar, PIK Scientist and study lead author, said in a statement.
Representative Image Source: Close-up of children holding a planet at the beach (Getty Images)
In addition to this, Johan, who referred to planet Earth as a “patient,” said, “The overall diagnostic is that the patient, Planet Earth, is in critical condition. Six of nine Planetary Boundaries are transgressed. Seven PB processes show a trend of increasing pressure so that we will soon see the majority of the Planetary Health Check parameters in the high-risk zone.”
Furthermore, the study revealed that the planetary boundary of climate change is in a high-risk zone, and the boundaries in land system change and freshwater change have also been transgressed, although to a lesser extent. Stratosphere ozone depletion has remained stable, according to The Guardian, but surprisingly, the atmospheric aerosol loading boundary has improved. But when it comes to the ocean acidification boundary, it is already at the tipping point. Ocean acidification, as per The Guardian, is “the phenomenon of increasing acidity (decreasing pH) in ocean water due to the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide.” Accumulation of excess carbon dioxide can pose a threat to living species that thrive in oceanic underwater.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chair of the Planetary Guardians, said that indigenous people lived in harmony with the planet’s critical life-supporting processes for centuries, and replenished the overall health of Earth. But now, he said, people are killing life with an overdose of chemicals, destruction of nature, skyrocketing temperatures, and rising pollution. While these planetary health checks are vital for the effective functioning of Earth, they may not provide the answer to the perturbations caused by humans that are pushing the boundaries.
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
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The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.