Understanding Earth System Science: Interconnected Systems and Planetary Boundaries
28/07/2026
How does saving the Amazon affect rain in your city? The answer lies in understanding Earth system science: interconnected systems and planetary boundaries. The Global Commons Alliance exists to build a just world on a safe planet by safeguarding these very networks. Dive into the essential science behind our mission in two new explainer videos.
–
From ecosystems, ocean currents, and climate patterns, to the cycles of water, carbon, and nutrients, everything on Earth is part of a living and interconnected system. For thousands of years, these global commons gave us a stable climate, flowing rivers, abundant forests, and the conditions for human civilizations to flourish.
That balance is now under pressure — and the effects ripple across the whole Earth system in ways that aren’t always obvious:
– Ocean warming reshapes climate across entire continents.
– Deforestation changes rainfall patterns thousands of miles away.
– Thawing permafrost accelerates warming far beyond the Arctic.
But the reverse is also true. Protecting and restoring the global commons can trigger positive waves across the whole Earth system.
Watch our video to explore the interconnections between Earth’s life-support systems, and why understanding them is essential for the decisions we make today for every species and generation to come.
Safe and just science
To protect these interconnected systems, the Global Commons Alliance works to build a just world on a safe planet. But what does that actually mean? Science now provides the framework to define a safe and just world:
– A safe planet enables humanity to survive by maintaining the stability, resilience and functioning of Earth’s life support system.
– A just world enables all humans to thrive by protecting people from being harmed by global warming, biodiversity loss and pollution, and to equitably share nature’s benefits.
Aligning with this vision, various scientific and economic frameworks have been developed to help guide humanity. One of these is the Earth Commission’s “Safe and Just Boundaries”.
The Safe and Just Boundaries framework brings both together, identifying:
↳ A ceiling — limits that help maintain planetary stability and protect life on Earth from harm.
↳ A floor — minimum levels of resource use needed for a dignified life, freedom from poverty, and decent living standards.
Together, they define a space where humanity can thrive without exceeding the boundaries of our planet.
From climate to freshwater and biodiversity in natural ecosystems, each element of the Earth system has both a safe AND a just boundary. We’ve already breached several of these boundaries — with real consequences for the stability of the Earth system, as well as lives and livelihoods around the world. That’s why this framework matters. It gives governments, businesses, and citizens a practical tool to set policy goals and track progress, assess corporate impact and shape reduction targets, and support citizens in holding decision-makers accountable.
Watch this next video, narrated by Earth Commissioner David Obura, to learn more about the Safe and Just Boundaries — and how the Global Commons Alliance is using this framework to drive systemic change across governance and policy, economics and business, and culture and broader society.
CREDITS
Interconnected systems
- Narration by David Akana, Mongabay
- Narrative support from Joy van Breda and Elise van Breda, Somewhat Greener
- Music: Signal To Noise by Scott Buckley | Royalty Free Music Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Safe and Just science
- Narrated by David Obura, Earth Commissioner, Director of CORDIO East Africa; IPBES Chair
- Narrative support by Elise van Breda and Joy van Breda, Somewhat Greener
- Science visuals from Earth Commission + Superflux
- Music by Andrii Poradovskyi from Pixabay
–
