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There are nine limits on the planet that we must not cross, to do so not only implies our extinction as a species but the disappearance of everything we know about life on earth. A study by the United Nations (UN, 2021) alerts us that we have already crossed four of them and the irreversible damage now condemns us to a life with lower expectations for future generations. It has even been estimated that the earth may only be able to continue to endure before its total collapse until the year 2050. So what more are we waiting for to act? Today we urgently need a change in the mentality of people who believe they are the owners of the planet and who exist selfishly without measuring the consequences of the abuses of Mother Earth for everyone.
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The nine planetary boundaries are:
1.- Climate change: We have exceeded 1.1 °C of our planet's temperature, which is the cause not only of the melting of the polar caps but also of the changes in the seasons and the global climate. If by the end of the century we continue with the indiscriminate use of toxic and harmful agents resulting from industrial processes, the temperature increase could reach 4.4°C, which would be the end of life on the planet.
2.- Integrity of the biosphere: At this point we are talking about the loss of biodiversity and the extinction of species. We have also crossed this limit. It is estimated that out of 8 million species that are part of biodiversity, and therefore of the balance of the planet, 1 million of them are practically extinct. If you can, look up the case of the disappearance of bees, a fact that shocked the world's scientific community.
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3.- Change in land use: Another of the limits that people have specialized in crossing. One of the biggest challenges facing biology and ecology today is to solve how to feed more than 8 billion people living on the planet and the 2 billion more estimated to live by 2050 without taking more space from nature. Indiscriminate logging, diverted rivers, coasts invaded by large tourist establishments and the use of land for industry are just some of the cases that make us think.
4.- Biochemical fluxes: This is the fourth limit that we have exceeded. Biochemical fluxes are related to the phosphorus and nitrogen cycles. These chemical elements are used in commercial fertilizers and manures and although they serve to increase the chemical fertilization of the soil, their use has also become very harmful to life on earth.
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5.- Reduction of stratospheric ozone: This is the limit whose warning signs were the only ones that humanity managed to understand, however, the fight for the reduction of fuels that damage the ozone layer is a pending issue that seems never to be completed.
6.- Use of fresh water: Although our planet is made up of three quarters of water, only 2.5% is fresh water, we need to implement measures for the proper use, care and equitable distribution of fresh water. Today, large industries, especially the oil and chemical industries, consume excessive volumes of fresh water, to which entire peoples will never have access.
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7.- Ocean acidification: We are facing the limits of the PH elevation of the ocean which is responsible for climate change and the extinction of thousands of marine species, this is caused by pollution and toxic waste that are deposited daily in the ocean.
8.- Load of aerosols in the atmosphere: Aerosols drastically change the air of the planet, this is a very complex limit which scientists are still trying to create measures for the evaluation of its impact. What is certain is that these generations will experience life without clean air and we do not yet know the consequences of this on our lives.
9.- Incorporation of new entities: In a macabre game where scientists believe they are gods, species are manipulated and chromosomes are altered, this brings irreparable damage to the balance and biodiversity, even, human beings themselves today are experimentation material.
Source: pixabay.com
All of the above, I know that it is a little out of what you are used to read in my posts but I consider it necessary that as often as possible we are instruments for change and those who promote awareness. Very soon we will be at a point of no return and we must avoid that at all costs. Thank you for your time.
