Experts say Phosphorus and Nitrogen Fertilizers compromised Earth’s stability

Experts warned with the release of a study that the Earth is growing closer, and closer to a point of no return, or at least bringing Earth to the brink of “irreversible changes.” The study goes on to point out that we’re edging closer, and closer to the biological “danger zone” that would make life on this planet – as we know it – tremendously difficult, if not outright impossible. The study was published in the journal Science, and made some increasingly threatening claims toward the behavior that is ultimately driving this planet closer to its brink.

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“We’re running up to and beyond the biophysical boundaries that enable human civilization as we know it to exist,” noted Stephen Carpenter, the director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology, and co-author of this particularly dark study. The study was called ‘Planetary Boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet’ and points out that the way humans are treating Earth – that it’s being guided in a very bad direction.

The study revealed that on land, one of the major issues facing humans as it relates to the health of the Earth revolves around agriculture. The study found that the United States actually has amongst the richest soil in the world when it comes to phosphorus and nitrogen content. That alone, the study warns, could easily push Earth beyond its “planetary boundaries” if we as a population continue on the path that we are currently on. Carter said that it’s largely due to the fact that humans have changed the global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. He said, “(The increase) is on the order of 200 to 300 percent. In contrast, carbon has only been increased 10 to 20 percent and look at all the uproar that has caused in the climate.”

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The way the study frame the entire climate picture, and human interaction with the globe, it would appear as though humans have already far exceeded what they would typically be allotted if they were properly watching the numbers. The study also urges the importance of getting usages of products that are dangerous to our climate and globe under control, and more tightly regulated before we do fully slip past that “point of no return.”

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Tyler Cook

Tyler holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Journalism. He brings 12 years of reporting and editorial leadership across national and regional outlets, with coverage that spans Congress, tech regulation, and the business of media. His expertise includes investigations, audience strategy, and long form features that connect policy to everyday life. He received a regional Society of Professional Journalists recognition for explanatory reporting. Away from work he runs at sunrise and plays pickup basketball. Tyler sets editorial standards, greenlights exclusives, leads special projects, and ensures every desk meets our sourcing and corrections policy.