Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Sustainable Development01:43

Sustainable Development

13.2K
As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.
13.2K
The Colonization of Land02:22

The Colonization of Land

34.1K
Changes in the environment of the early Earth drove the evolution of organisms. As prokaryotic organisms in the oceans began to photosynthesize, they produced oxygen. Eventually, oxygen saturated the oceans and entered the air, resulting in an increase in atmospheric oxygen concentration, known as the oxygen revolution approximately 2.3 billion years ago. Therefore, organisms that could use oxygen for cellular respiration had an advantage. More than 1.5 years ago, eukaryotic cells and...
34.1K
C4 Pathway and CAM01:27

C4 Pathway and CAM

45.1K
Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
45.1K
Three Developmental Domains01:29

Three Developmental Domains

82
Human development is typically examined across three main domains: physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional. These domains represent the significant areas of change and continuity throughout the lifespan, from infancy to late adulthood.
Physical Development
Physical processes, also known as maturation, encompass the biological changes that occur across an individual's life. These changes begin with genetic inheritance and continue through various stages, including growth in height and...
82
What are Biogeochemical Cycles?00:54

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

30.9K
The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.
30.9K
Global Climate Change01:50

Global Climate Change

24.1K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
24.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Deforestation-induced drying lowers Amazon climate threshold.

Nature·2026
Same author

Ozone pollution reduction partially offsets the negative impact of climate change mitigation efforts on global hunger.

Nature food·2026
Same author

Heat Tolerance and Its Plasticity in Freshwater and Marine Fishes Reflect Exposure to Extremes and Seasonal Variation in Habitat Temperatures.

Ecology letters·2026
Same author

Can we bend the curve: Trends in global biodiversity scenarios.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Exploring environmental and distributional impacts of different transition pathways for healthier and sustainable diets: an economic modelling study.

The Lancet. Planetary health·2025
Same author

Bundling measures for food systems transformation: a global, multimodel assessment.

The Lancet. Planetary health·2025
Same journal

Inside the new political screening that's stalling NIH grants.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Europe's record heatwave: does the continent have a new climate?

Nature·2026
Same journal

Daily briefing: Humans and great apes giggle in the same rhythms.

Nature·2026
Same journal

The surprising career parallels between footballers and researchers.

Nature·2026
Same journal

I study World Cup penalty shoot-outs: they say a lot about the psychology of performance under pressure.

Nature·2026
Same journal

CRISPR's next act: the companies editing the epigenome to treat disease.

Nature·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2025

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
10:30

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations

Published on: September 11, 2016

10.7K

Exploring pathways for world development within planetary boundaries.

Detlef P van Vuuren1,2, Jonathan C Doelman3,4, Isabela Schmidt Tagomori3

  • 1Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), The Hague, The Netherlands. detlef.vanvuuren@pbl.nl.

Nature
|May 14, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Humanity is exceeding planetary boundaries, risking Earth's stability. Even with policy interventions, climate change, biogeochemical flows, and biodiversity will remain transgressed by 2050, requiring stronger environmental policies.

More Related Videos

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves
06:48

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Published on: May 10, 2020

3.4K
Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon
09:44

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon

Published on: October 16, 2018

10.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2025

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
10:30

Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations

Published on: September 11, 2016

10.7K
Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves
06:48

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Published on: May 10, 2020

3.4K
Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon
09:44

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon

Published on: October 16, 2018

10.1K

Area of Science:

  • Environmental science
  • Earth system science
  • Sustainability science

Background:

  • Human activities are destabilizing Earth's environment.
  • The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity.
  • Evaluating trends is crucial for identifying sustainable pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To project the state of eight planetary boundaries by 2050 under different policy scenarios.
  • To assess the impact of environmental policies on Earth's stability.
  • To identify pathways for humanity to live within planetary boundaries.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment (IMAGE).
  • Projected control variables for eight of nine planetary boundaries.
  • Analyzed scenarios with and without strong environmental policies until 2050.

Main Results:

  • Current trends and policies project worsening conditions for most planetary boundaries by 2050, except ozone depletion.
  • Targeted interventions (e.g., Paris Agreement, dietary shifts, resource efficiency) can reduce boundary transgressions.
  • Inertia means climate change, biogeochemical flows, and biodiversity will likely remain transgressed in 2050 even with interventions.

Conclusions:

  • Significant policy action is needed to ensure humanity operates within planetary boundaries.
  • Current trajectories are unsustainable, highlighting the urgency for enhanced environmental governance.
  • Achieving sustainability requires addressing systemic inertia and implementing more effective, feasible policy measures.