Earth system scientists have developed the planetary boundaries framework to measure and track the stability and resilience of the Earth system, quantifying safe zones for nine processes increasingly affected by human activities.  In parallel, health scientists are concerned that Earth system change threatens the conditions underlying human health and well-being. An editorial published in The Lancet made the following four proposals for closer integration of planetary boundaries and planetary health research.

In her closing remarks at the UN Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) held in Addis Ababa on July 29, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed lauded the growing momentum for food systems transformation and emphasized that food systems must be the solution for people, planet, peace, and prosperity.

Economic development worldwide is associated with the prevalence of obesity and related health problems. A study published in the journal PNAS looked at energy consumption and obesity in 4,213 adults across six continents, representing a variety of lifestyles and economies, and found that dietary intake plays a much larger role in obesity associated with economic development than does a decline in energy consumption.

On 28 July, the United Nations Food Systems Summit +4 (UNFSS+4) plenary sessions kicked off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with a number of special sessions including by renowned experts in the field of food systems research.

The Secretary-General's Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals Report provides a global overview of progress made in the decade since the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted in 2015 and identifies areas where decisive action is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Since 2015, progress has been made on SDG2, with reductions in child stunting and wasting and modest improvements in dietary diversity for young children, but hunger and food insecurity are worsening and small-scale producers continue to earn significantly less than their larger counterparts. The report highlights the importance of food systems transformation, among others, in achieving the 2030 Agenda.

Food systems face challenges in providing equitable, healthy diets to people around the world, supporting sustainable livelihoods, and ensuring environmental protection. A Nature Food editorial proposes a rethinking of food system-wide governance to address these issues.

Adaptation requires rapid and adaptive institutions. As the frequency of climate disasters increases, more systematic institutional adaptation is required. Here is an editorial from Nature Climate Change.

Much of the discussion on climate change associated with achieving the goal of net zero carbon dioxide emissions has tended to focus on the change in global average temperature after emissions are halted. An editorial in Communications Earth & Environment magazine suggests that even if rapid decarbonization is achieved, the long-term impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise and ocean warming, are likely to continue, and need to be taken into consideration.

As global warming progresses, the impacts of extreme heat are expected to grow even more, making it urgent to build effective early warning systems. According to an editorial in The Lancet Planetary Health, in the first two decades of the 21st century, the excess deaths from heat stroke were about 500,000 per year, of which about 250,000 were in Asia.