London, UK, 21 August 2025
A new study reveals a stark warning that humanity has pushed the planet’s land resources to a critical point, with over half of the global land area operating beyond safe ecological limits.
A recent study by scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has unveiled a troubling reality: an alarming 60% of the Earth’s land is now in a “precarious state,” a condition where its ability to support life is under severe strain.
The study, published in the journal One Earth, found that 38% of this land is already in a “high-risk zone” where ecosystem breakdown is increasingly likely.
The findings are based on a new, detailed mapping of the planetary boundary for “functional biosphere integrity,” which tracks the health of ecosystems.
Researchers used two key indicators to measure the strain on the land: the amount of natural biomass productivity humans divert for their own use, and complex structural changes in vegetation, water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles.
They determined that humanity first crossed a critical threshold for this planetary boundary around the year 1900, with the industrial revolution driving significant agricultural expansion.
Today, the most severely impacted regions are Europe, Asia, and North America, a direct result of intensive agricultural land use and urban development. The study found that while land use changes were the initial drivers, climate change is now exacerbating the crisis, pushing even remote, previously untouched areas into higher-risk zones.
This highlights a crucial feedback loop where land degradation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn amplify the climate crisis and further degrade land.
* Land Degradation: A Global Crisis
The report defines a “precarious state” as land that has been pushed beyond its safe ecological limits. This can be caused by various factors including:
* Deforestation and overgrazing, which remove protective vegetation, leading to soil erosion.
* Unsustainable farming practices, such as monocultures and intensive tilling, that deplete soil nutrients.
* Urbanization and infrastructure development, which seal off land and disrupt natural ecosystems.
* Urgent Need for Action
The study serves as a critical warning, emphasizing the urgent need for a shift toward sustainable land management practices. Experts say that restoring degraded land and adopting more responsible approaches to agriculture and urban planning are vital for ensuring long-term food security and planetary health. Solutions include reforestation, implementing conservation agriculture techniques, and more efficient water management.
The research makes it clear that the current trajectory of land use is not sustainable. Without significant changes in how humanity manages the Earth’s land resources, the risk of widespread ecosystem collapse will continue to rise, threatening not only biodiversity but also global food and water security.
