Thousands of years back during which ruled period of climate stability and resilience of the Earth system, enabled humanity to advance in the development of technology and culture. A report published by scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), which deals with the health of the planet Earth, showed that we have entered a new era. This period is riddled with increasing symptoms of exceeding the Planetary Boundaries, which include more frequent extreme weather events, fires, reduced plant productivity and water shortages. These problems are further aggravated by the growth of the global population.
Planetary Boundaries represent a scientific framework that sets safe limits within which human activities can take place without significant consequences for the stability of the Earth system. If they are exceeded, there is the possibility of destabilizing the ecosystem and all living conditions. There are nine Planetary Boundaries and they include climate change, change in the integrity of the biosphere, change in the land system, changes in freshwater systems, modification of biogeochemical flows, introduction of new entities, ocean acidification, atmospheric aerosol loading and stratospheric ozone depletion.
The report shows that six of Planetary Frontier’s nine processes have exceeded safe levels. These processes include climate change, integrity of the biosphere, changes in the land system, changes in freshwater systems, biochemical flows, and the introduction of new entities. As stated, these levels record alarming trends.
Speaking of climate change, CO2 levels in the atmosphere are at their highest levels in 15 million years, while the average global temperature is higher than ever before in human history, with an accelerated warming trend since the late 20th century. The integrity of the biosphere was also seriously damaged, with an accelerated loss of genetic diversity and the functional integrity of the ecosystem. Loss of the biosphere threatens the planet’s resilience to other environmental pressures, including climate change and land degradation, the report said. Within the framework of the changes in the land system, it should be noted that there is a continuous decline in forest areas, while many regions are already far beyond safety levels. Changes in freshwater systems, such as rivers and lakes, have led to increased instability in the amount of water flowing through these systems and in soil moisture. Water resource management is becoming increasingly difficult due to growing uncertainty in water availability. Biochemical flows, especially the use of phosphorus and nitrogen in agriculture, cause serious environmental problems, including water pollution and the emergence of so-called dead zones in seas and lakes. When it comes to the introduction of new entities, such as synthetic chemicals and plastics, there is still not enough research. However, many of these substances are thought to cause permanent harmful changes in the environment, including contamination of land and water systems.
The remaining three processes are still within the safety operating boundary. However, ocean acidification is near a critical threshold, while atmospheric aerosol loading shows progress toward safer levels. Degradation of the ozone layer has slowed, but, as the Report notes, there are still concerns about ongoing challenges in ozone restoration, especially over Antarctica.
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Source: energetskiportal.rs
