Overview

• Functional biosphere integrity refers to the plant world’s capacity to sustain Earth system stability through photosynthesis-driven carbon, water and nitrogen flows.
• The researchers employed two complementary metrics—human appropriation of biomass and an ecosystem destabilization risk index—to pinpoint local threshold breaches.
• Using the LPJmL model, they generated half-degree-resolution maps for every year since 1600, revealing that ecosystem transgressions began centuries before industrialization.
• Of the land now beyond safe limits, 38% falls into a high-risk category, with Europe, Asia and North America showing the most severe overshoots due to agricultural conversion.
• Study authors call on policymakers to integrate comprehensive biosphere protection with climate action to strengthen natural carbon sinks and address competing land-use demands.