2025 Planetary Boundaries summary

13 July

Global Boundaries

Here’s a primer on this topic and an update on what is happening here in Australia.

Table 1 Planetary Boundaries

Critical assessment of Australia’s planetary boundary responses

Upon examination of an earlier assessment (unpublished), it is now clear that the
so-called “good news” regarding Australia’s planetary boundary performance is mostly aspirational or marginal. Without systemic change in land use, fossil fuel policy and economic priorities, these improvements are unlikely to prevent further harms to Earth’s safe operating space.

This revised assessment reflects a more realistic and critical appraisal. While
small-scale initiatives exist in each domain, most are underfunded, inconsistently implemented, or contradicted by other policies.

If, as is often stated, the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, then this moderately realistic summary may still be too optimistic. Based on policy trends and scientific risk evaluation, the likelihood that Australia will stay within safe ecological limits without radical transformation is estimated at less than 20%.

Therefore, the future is not looking rosy without significant action, and that actions starts with us.

Table 2: Planetary boundaries and Australia

What can we do?

If the breach of planetary boundaries is the result of extractive systems and disconnection — from nature, each other and future generations — then the way forward must involve improved relationships, renewed responsibility, and meaningful action on eco-regeneration. While government commitments are critical, individuals and local groups are not powerless.

How individuals can help

Even in the face of global crises, individual choices matter - not just for carbon reduction, but for shifting cultural norms, supporting regenerative systems, and deepening our ecological identity.

Practical actions:

Rewild your garden, street or school
Planting native species supports insects, birds and ecological resilience. Even balconies and parking strips count.
Eat for the planet
Reduce ultra-processed foods and meat products. Choose local, seasonal and low-impact options. Compost food waste or donate to composters.
Withdraw support from destructive industries
Shift superannuation and banking to ethical funds. Reduce consumption. Repair and reuse.
Stand up for ecosystems and justice
Support campaigns, write to MPs, volunteer with Landcare Australia or regenerative farming groups. Disrupt denial with courage and compassion.
Rebuild community
Host a meal. Start a repair cafe. Learn names of your neighbours. Planetary restoration depends on social resilience.
Practise mindful presence and sacred attention
Nature connection, silence and contemplative rituals restore inner orientation. They build what Thomas Berry called “a communion with Earth.”

How MANA can help

MANA is uniquely placed to model and mobilise community-scale responses that integrate nature, mindfulness and systems change. Our approach can align with the boundaries framework by attending to the root causes of overshoot: disconnection, speed and consumption.

MANA’s contribution includes:

Local nature restoration projects
Partner with councils, First Nations groups and landholders to protect and replant native habitat corridors, prioritising insect and fungal biodiversity.
Expand ‘Natural Mindfulness’ and Nature Bathing
Scale training and public programs to help thousands reconnect with land, slowness and connection in parks, bushland and beaches.
Host planetary awareness events
Days of Mindfulness and seasonal festivals can address planetary health, ecological grief, hope and adaptive living.
Develop citizen education programs
Create accessible content (videos, workshops and infographics) on planetary boundaries, regenerative living and spiritual ecology.
Foster a kinship economy
Support local food production and sharing, tool-sharing, crafts and eco-businesses through directories and slow economy partnerships.
Policy and advocacy from the margins
Publish articles and submissions that elevate grounded voices — ecologists, carers, farmers, and youth — and push for systems change.
Work with thresholds, not ideals
Teach about planetary boundaries as real-world thresholds that must not be exceeded — not simply abstract ideals. This realism fosters ethical courage.

A final word

We are living in what environmental activist Joanna Macy calls the Great Turning, a time when the old industrial growth society is collapsing and the seeds of a life-sustaining culture are sprouting. What happens next depends not on abstract optimism, but on “embodied response, relational repair, and loving defiance”.

If Australia is to find its place within the planetary household, it will not be through consumption with a greener brand, but through grounded kinship, community actionand spiritual courage. MANA is here to help that unfold.

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John Julian