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Global Change
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Scientists tracking Earth's health say we've now pushed 6 out of 9 critical environmental limits past the safe zone, covering everything from climate change to plastic pollution to biodiversity loss. This matters because these problems are connected: fixing one (like using less carbon) could accidentally worsen another (like plastic waste), so we need solutions that address multiple issues at once. This review highlights plastic pollution as a major concern, which is especially relevant since microplastics have been found throughout the environment and in human bodies, with still-unfolding implications for our health.
Humans have altered the global environment in historically unprecedented ways. These changes are referred to collectively as global change and include, but are not limited to: changes in ocean acidification, invasive species, nitrogen and phosphorous loading, atmospheric change, land use change, biodiversity loss, novel entities such as plastics, and, of course climate change. This chapter examines these changes in the context of planetary boundary research – which seeks to determine if these global changes are pushing the planet past stable planetary conditions. Unfortunately, six of nine boundaries have now been crossed putting the earth outside the safe zone. This reality means that solutions to environmental problems must be holistic and need to be implemented in a manner that avoids trading one environmental problem for another. Case studies examine the question of an Amazon forest tipping point and the challenge of plastic pollution.
More Papers Like This
"Global Environmental Challenges: A 2026 Scientific Assessment"
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This 2026 assessment pulls together the latest climate and environmental data to show we've now crossed seven of nine critical "planetary boundaries" — safety limits that keep Earth's systems stable. The good news: renewable energy is scaling up fast, now over half of power capacity in some major countries; the bad news: extreme weather, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss (including in marine ecosystems tied to seafood and drinking water quality) are accelerating faster than governments are responding. For everyday health, this matters because ongoing plastic and chemical pollution in oceans and waterways means continued exposure to microplast
"Global Environmental Challenges: A 2026 Scientific Assessment"
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This 2026 report finds Earth has crossed most of its safe environmental limits, with 2025 marking both record-high fossil fuel emissions and near-daily extreme weather events in vulnerable regions worldwide. There's a glimmer of hope—renewables now power over half the grid in some major economies—but scientists warn that plastic and chemical pollution are seriously harming ocean health, which matters for humans since these pollutants (including microplastics) work their way up the food chain and into the water and seafood we consume. The bottom line: without binding international action on plastics and water management soon, we risk hitting tipping points that can't be und
Beyond Warming: The Sustainability Challenge of Climate, Pollution & Disease, Water, and Justice in the Anthropocene
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This review pulls together existing research showing that our planet's problems—warming oceans, disappearing groundwater, pollution, and diseases spreading to new areas—are all connected, and they're hitting people unevenly based on wealth and access to resources like clean water and healthcare. One key concern highlighted is microplastic contamination, which is showing up in our water, food, and even our bodies as another layer of health risk we're still working to understand. The bottom line: our current systems for managing these overlapping crises are falling behind the science, and fixing that requires tackling climate, pollution, and inequality together rather than one at a time.
Plasticizing the Biosphere: a Multidimensional Assessment of Synthetic Plastic Pollution and Ecosystem Health
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This review paper summarizes existing research on how tiny plastic particles affect soil, water, air, plants, microbes and animals, and how plastic production and waste connect to climate change. It concludes that plastic pollution is a complex, system-wide problem, not just a waste issue, requiring coordinated changes across production, use and disposal.
Diversity of Global Change Factors and Tipping Points
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This review examines the diversity of global change factors simultaneously affecting Earth systems, including climate change, biodiversity loss, land use change, and emerging pollutants such as microplastics. Researchers argue that global change is multidimensional and that tipping points in one system can cascade into others. The paper calls for integrated research frameworks that address multiple change factors together rather than in isolation.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.