Are we Environmentally Screwed?

Earth has exceeded 4 of the 9 boundaries to support a hospitable life.  

In January, Rockström argued, in an article published in the Science, that the world has already exceeded four of the nine limits for hospitable life.

Indeed, we have already exceeded the parameters with regards to climate change, extinction of species, deforestation, and the addition of phosphorus and nitrogen to the world’s ecosystems.

Rockström continued “for the first time ever, we might shift the planet from friend to foe”.  As illustrated in the below chart, we have exceeded almost half of the parameters needed for hospitable life on the earth.  

Are we Environmentally Screwed?

This condition is increasing the risk of high temperatures, rising sea levels and other natural disasters such as droughts and floods. National Geographic forecast sea levels to rise almost to 80 centimeters by the end of the century.

This would cause the disappearance of great part of Oceania Islands and would provoke major natural catastrophes in many world megacities, which are on or under the sea level.   Despite the rising level of awareness on this issue, things appear not to have changed for the better. On the contrary, we are approaching the point of non-return, if we have not already passed it.

The sad truth is that we are already ‘environmentally screwed’, we may have not even yet realized it. My only concern is that by the time environmental policy will be effectively implemented it will be ‘too little too late’ and this time different from any apocalyptic movie there will be not any hero to save the world.

We have to realize that we are the heroes, and we need to take action now for our today and the humanities’ right to have a tomorrow.