'Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet' and your approach to sustainability

The June 4 release of the Netflix movie “Breaking Boundaries” certainly makes for depressing viewing, even though there is an attempt in the second half of the documentary to create hope that not all is lost.

One can easily mistake it as just another attempt to draw attention to the negative impact mankind is having on the earth and that unless we all act together immediately, we all face a very precarious future on this planet. 

Unfortunately, as we have seen with similar attempts to galvanize widespread public response to the state of our planet with the release of “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006, it remains to be seen if this documentary will influence those who vote and have purchasing power to take on those who can really make the changes needed to reverse many of the boundary issues the movie highlights. 

As someone involved in helping build sustainable fresh produce businesses and food systems, I value the urgency the filmmaker Jon Clay is trying to convey regarding the crisis we as humankind currently find ourselves in. To that end, I think he and narrator Sir David Attenborough have done a good job. 

While Professor Johan Rockström, who together with Will Steffen first introduced the Planetary Boundaries concept to the world in 2009, got to appear in the film and did discuss his concerns, the viewer never really gets a good understanding of the nine boundaries that should not be exceeded. Here the movie content and the title did not serve each other well.  

The fact of the matter is that understanding the nine planetary boundaries is crucial to formulating an effective sustainability strategy and greater prominence should have been given to explaining each and how it was derived. 

The visual presentation below goes some way to make up for this shortfall and is useful in terms of identifying where agriculture and the planetary boundaries have a strong relationship.

While this visual representation does go a long way to understanding the boundaries that were identified, there is so much more to be shared regarding their impact if breached. 

For those readers who wish to understand more about these boundaries, how they impact your business and how to consider them in your sustainability strategy, I will be running a webinar in July regarding planetary boundaries and their relevance to the produce Industry. 

To book your seat, contact me at andrew.southwood@freshxpressions.com.