Breaking Boundaries on World Environment Day

This year World Environment Day is dedicated to the protection and revival of precious ecosystems all over the world and marks the launch of the UN’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Virgin Unite echo the UN’s belief that this is the time for all of us to take action to create cleaner, healthier, and more peaceful world.

With this in mind, we encourage everyone to watch the new film on Netflix, Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet. The documentary follows the scientific journey of world-renowned scientist and friend of Virgin Unite, Professor Johan Rockström, and Sir David Attenborough.

Breaking Boundaries tells the story of the most important scientific discovery of our time – that humanity has pushed Earth beyond many of the boundaries that have kept the planet stable for 10,000 years, since the dawn of civilisation.

The 75-minute film takes the audience on a journey of discovery of planetary thresholds we must not exceed, not just for the stability of the planet, but for the future of humanity. It offers up the solutions we can and must put in place now if we are to protect Earth’s life support system.

In 2009, Johan, alongside a group of 28 visionary scientists, created the planetary boundary framework, showing a “safe operating space” for nine critical and interconnected Earth System processes. Crossing these boundaries increases the risk of large-scale abrupt and irreversible environmental changes, and we are already breaching several of them.

Breaking Boundaries | NETFLIX

But while the scientific evidence shows we are facing unacceptable risks, it also shows we have the solutions. According to Johan: “The key message from the film is that we still have time. We are an endlessly innovative species. Cooperation is our superpower. And we are beginning to see signs that major change is coming.”

The science is clear on what humanity needs to do. There are three priorities: cut greenhouse gases to zero, protect the wetlands, soils, forests and oceans that absorb our impacts, and change our diets and the way we farm food. This is the mission. And everyone benefits. We will live in a cleaner, healthier and more peaceful world."

Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet is available to watch on Netflix from June 4 and available in book form from Amazon, Penguin Random House and Walmart.