In News:

The State of India’s Environment (SOE) 2026 report, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth, highlights the accelerating ecological crisis at both global and national levels. The report warns that humanity has breached multiple planetary boundaries, pushing Earth’s life-support systems toward instability. It further links ecological degradation with intensifying human–tiger conflicts in India.

Planetary Boundaries Framework

The Planetary Boundaries framework, first proposed in 2009 by scientists led by Johan Rockström and updated in 2023, defines the safe operating limits within which humanity can function without destabilising Earth systems.

It identifies nine critical Earth system processes that regulate planetary stability. Crossing these limits increases the risk of abrupt, irreversible environmental changes. The boundaries are interconnected; transgression in one can trigger cascading impacts across others.

Status of the Nine Planetary Boundaries

According to SOE 2026, 7 out of 9 planetary boundaries have been breached:

1. Climate Change (Transgressed): Rising greenhouse gas concentrations are pushing the planet close to breaching the 1.5°C warming threshold, signalling potentially irreversible climate impacts.

2. Biosphere Integrity (Transgressed): Species extinction rates exceed 100 extinctions per million species years, nearly ten times the safe limit.

3. Land System Change (Transgressed): Global forest cover has declined to 59%, well below the 75% safe threshold, weakening carbon sinks and biodiversity resilience.

4. Freshwater Change (Transgressed): Over-extraction and climate variability are disrupting river systems, soil moisture cycles, and groundwater security.

5. Biogeochemical Flows (Transgressed): Excess nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilisers are causing eutrophication and ecosystem imbalance.

6. Novel Entities (Transgressed): Plastics, synthetic chemicals, and other pollutants are entering ecosystems without adequate safety assessment.

7. Ocean Acidification (Recently Transgressed): Ocean acidity has increased by 30–40% since the industrial era, threatening coral reefs and marine food webs.

Boundaries Within Limits (But Risky)

• Atmospheric Aerosol Loading – Currently within limits globally but regionally disruptive (e.g., monsoon variability).
• Stratospheric Ozone Depletion – Within safe limits due to the success of the Montreal Protocol, a major global environmental governance success.

Climate Crisis and Tipping Points

• The report warns that climate disruptions are occurring earlier than predicted. Critical ecosystems such as coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest are approaching tipping points, beyond which recovery may be impossible.

Biodiversity Loss and Forest Decline

• Habitat degradation, deforestation, and ecosystem imbalance are accelerating biodiversity loss. Declining forest cover and fragmented habitats are reducing ecological resilience and increasing human–wildlife interactions.

Rising Human–Tiger Conflict in India

The report highlights how ecological degradation is intensifying human–tiger conflicts:

• Habitat loss and prey depletion are altering tiger behaviour.
• Expansion of human settlements near forest areas increases encounters.
• The invasive species Lantana camara now occupies nearly 50% of forest and scrublands, suppressing native grasses.
• Reduced prey availability forces tigers to prey on cattle, escalating conflict with local communities.

This reflects how ecosystem imbalance directly affects conservation outcomes.

Pollution and Freshwater Stress

• Freshwater reserves face severe stress due to overuse and climate variability. Simultaneously, pollution from plastics and synthetic chemicals presents long-term ecological and health risks, reinforcing the urgency of regulating “novel entities.”

Key Recommendations

1. Institutional Strengthening

• Enhance the capacity and independence of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
• Ensure environmental clearances prioritise ecological integrity over procedural compliance.

2. Sovereign Climate Action

• Integrate planetary boundaries into national accounting frameworks.
• Promote technology-led, full-stack decarbonisation strategies.

3. Community-Centric Conservation

• Adopt landscape-scale governance.
• Treat local communities as primary stakeholders in conservation rather than as obstacles.