Issue A Chief Planetary Scientist in every country

Summary

The report holds that countries need stronger institutions to interpret and respond to the rising risks of multiple simultaneous boundary transgressions. Several major government assessments from 2025 and 2026 have begun treating environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change as interlinked national and financial security risks. Most governments, however, lack the capacity and systems to integrate the nine interconnected life-support systems into policy across all relevant ministries. To fill this gap, the report recommends a Chief Planetary Scientist, or an equivalent independent advisory role, in every country. The post would translate complex global Earth-system science into budget decisions, relevant policies and national security planning. Studies already quantifying individual countries' contributions to boundary transgressions offer a basis for turning such knowledge into practice.