7/8 Safety Limits Exceeded

In a new study, it’s been seen that Earth has exceeded seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits, going into the “danger zone,” dangerous not only to the health of the planet but also the health of the people living on it. For the first time, justice–focusing on countries, ethnicities, and genders–has also been incorporated into the study.

The included categories are air pollution, climate, phosphorus and nitrogen contamination of water from fertilizer overuse, groundwater supplies, fresh surface water, the unbuilt natural environment, and the overall natural and human-built environment. The only one that hasn’t exceeded its safety guideline globally is air pollution.

Additionally, the study found problem areas including parts of Eastern Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, parts of Africa, and much of Brazil, Mexico, China and some of the US West.

This study was important because it provided quantifiable boundaries for different categories of the environment and expanded to include local and regional sustainability, incorporating effects on the general public in addition to damage to the Earth.

With large-scale effects from global warming and climate change, it can be hard for one individual to address solutions such as changing global use of natural resources and improving land and water use. However, citizens can do their part by trying to make more eco-friendly and eco-conscious decisions, to help reduce the impacts of global warming and climate change.