The boundaries of safe and fair land are narrower than the above

2023/05/31 Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena
• Klima

They propose new limitations to make the Earth a stable system, taking into account for the first time the security and justice of people around the world. They are narrower than the ceilings set and almost all have already been exceeded.

The study, conducted by an international scientific committee that brings together over 40 researchers from around the world, has been published in the journal Nature under the title “The Limits of a Safe and Just Land”. This work confirms that the human being is taking terrible risks for the future of the human being and all that lives on Earth.

Eight safe and fair constraints have been proposed for climate, biodiversity and ecosystems, water, fertilizer pollution and air pollutants, safe to maintain the stability and resilience of the Earth and fair to avoid significant damage to people around the world. And you've seen that with both criteria, the limits are stricter.

For example, in the case of climate change, limiting warming to 1.5 °C, the most severe impacts will be avoided, but not many other significant damages that will affect many people, such as deaths, migrations, food and water availability. With an increase of 1.5°c, 200 million people will live at extreme temperatures and more than 500 million people will be affected by rising sea levels. Thus, it is estimated that the safe and fair climate limit was equal to or below 1.0°c. And overcoming this limit is not fair because they are already causing significant damage to millions of people.

It is estimated that in areas occupied by 52 per cent of the earth ' s surface, two or more limits have already been exceeded, affecting 86 per cent of the world ' s human population. On the other hand, in areas where 28 per cent of the world ' s population lives, there are four or more limitations overcome. And taking into account data from around the world, seven of the eight limits are exceeded. The only exception is air pollutants, which are also exceeded at several points.

Thus, the authors of the work have claimed the necessity and urgency of a global leadership that makes quick decisions and leads to a transformation towards a safe and just planet.