In a new study, an international team of researchers concluded that pollution from manufactured chemicals has surpassed the planetary boundary, putting the stability of the world and humanity at greater danger.
What You Need to Know
- A new international study concludes that polluting chemicals have exceeded the planetary boundary. This puts the world’s stability and humanity at greater danger.
- The study was published Tuesday The scientific journal Environmental Science and TechnologyThe impact of novel entities, synthetic chemicals, and plastics on the planetary boundary is being studied by a team led by.
- The scientists behind the study estimated that there are 350,000 types of manufactured chemicals. However, they were particularly concerned about plastics
- The study revealed that there has been a 50-fold rise in chemical production since 1950. This current level is expected increase by three times by 2050.
The study was published Tuesday The scientific journal Environmental Science and TechnologyThis is believed to be the first study on the impact of new entities synthetic chemicals, including plastics, on the planetary boundary, which is the demarcation line for Earth’s stability. The study was carried out by 14 researchers from Sweden and Canada, as well as Denmark.
Scientists behind the study estimated that there are approximately 350,000 different types manufactured chemicals. They also included pesticides and chemicals in consumer products. But they were especially concerned about plastics.
The study showed that the chemical production has increased 50 times since 1950. It is predicted that the current level will triple by 2050.
Plastic production grew 79% between 2000-2015, and around 80% of all plastics produced are still in the environment, according the paper.
Patricia Villarubia Gmez of Stockholm Resilience Centre stated that the speed at which societies produce and release new chemicals and other novel entities into our environment is not consistent in maintaining a safe operating space.
The study shows that chemical pollution can reach even remote areas of the globe, and microplastic particles can be found in high mountains, deep oceans, and other places.
These pollutants can be found all over the globe, from the Arctic to Antarctica. They can also be very persistent, according to Bethanie Carney Almroth, a study co-author from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Researchers found that there are many ways chemicals or pollutants can cause damage to the planet’s health, including its biodiversity and climate. Carney Almroth explained that governments cannot keep up to the increasing number of pollutants in the environment, in order to properly assess and deal with the problem.
An international team of scientists analyzed 10,000 years of data to find nine processes that regulate earth’s stability and resilience. They also quantified their boundaries. They found that four boundaries had been breached, but that novel entities were having an adverse effect.
The new study authors call for a reduction of pollution and a shift toward a circular economy through the design of more chemicals and products that can easily be recycled.
