Earth is exceeding its “safe operating space for humanity” in six of nine key measurements of its health, and two of the remaining three are headed in the wrong direction, a new study said.
Earth’s climate, biodiversity, land, freshwater, nutrient pollution and “novel” chemicals (human-made compounds like microplastics and nuclear waste) are all out of whack, a group of international scientists said in Wednesday’s journal Science Advances.
“We are in very bad shape,” said study co-author Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany.
Water went from barely safe to the out-of-bounds category because of worsening river run-off and better measurements and understanding of the problem, Rockstrom said.
Political Cartoons View All 1157 ImagesIf Earth can manage these nine factors, Earth could be relatively safe.
Persons:
”, Johan Rockstrom, “, Rockstrom, it’s, –, ” Rockstrom, Jonathan Overpeck, ” Overpeck, Neil Donahue, Duke’s Stuart Pimm, Granger Morgan, ” “ I’ve, ” Morgan, Seth Borenstein
Organizations:
Potsdam Institute, Climate, Research, Biodiversity, ” University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, Twitter, AP
Locations:
Germany, Paris