We’ve breached the planetary boundary for chemical pollution, study says
A new study has found that the release of novel entities — artificial chemicals and other human-made pollutants — has accelerated to a point that we have crossed a “planetary boundary,” threatening the entire Earth operating system, along with humanity.
The study authors argue that the breach of this critical planetary boundary has occurred because the rate at which novel entities are being developed and produced by industry exceeds governments’ ability to assess risk and monitor impacts.
There are about 350,000 different types of artificial chemicals currently on the international market, with production of existing and new synthetic chemicals set to substantially increase in the coming decades.
While many of these substances have been shown to negatively affect the natural world and human health, the vast majority have yet to be evaluated, with their interactions and impacts poorly understood or completely unknown.
Read the full story here: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/01/wev...
#mongabay #environment #planetaryboundaries #chemicals #pollution
----
Mongabay is a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform that produces original reporting in English, Indonesian, Spanish, French, Hindi, and Brazilian Portuguese.
Check out https://www.mongabay.com/
Watch more of our videos: / mongabaytv
Subscribe to Mongabay’s newsletter: https://mongabay.us14.list-manage.com...
Follow Mongabay on Facebook: / mongabay
Follow Mongabay on Twitter: / mongabay
Follow Mongabay on Instagram: / mongabay