The Planetary Health Check assesses the nine Planetary Boundaries, the processes that regulate our planet’s stability and resilience.
The 2026 diagnosis is clear: seven of nine boundaries have been transgressed, and all seven are at their highest recorded levels.
By tracking planetary health each year, the assessment shows where risks are growing, where progress is possible and how we can return to a safe operating space for humanity.
Download the Planetary
Health Check 2026
Explore the full assessment from more than 60 scientists, produced by the Planetary Boundaries Science Lab at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
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What the Planetary
Health Check 2026 shows
Seven of nine Planetary Boundaries are transgressed, and all seven continue to worsen.
The risk of large-scale, irreversible change is increasing across interconnected Earth systems.
The consequences are increasingly visible, from record ocean heat and coral bleaching to floods, droughts, wildfires and extreme heat.
Natural carbon sinks are under growing pressure as heat, drought, fire and ecosystem degradation weaken forests and soils.
Recovery is possible. Improvements in ozone depletion and aerosol loading show that coordinated action can change planetary trajectories.
We can bend the curves. We have the solutions: cut fossil fuel use and emissions, restore nature, transform food systems and put Planetary Boundaries at the heart of decisions.