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Global Change
Summary
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.