Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities

We submit that the safe operating space of the planetary boundary of novel entities is exceeded since annual production and releases are increasing at a pace that outstrips the global capacity for assessment and monitoring. The novel entities boundary in the planetary boundaries framework refers to entities that are novel in a geological sense and that could have large-scale impacts that threaten the integrity of Earth system processes. We review the scientific literature relevant to quantifying the boundary for novel entities and highlight plastic pollution as a particular aspect of high concern. An impact pathway from production of novel entities to impacts on Earth system processes is presented. We define…

• SE
  Stockholm Environment Institute
• UO
  University of Reading
• RS
  Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• ET
  Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
• UO
  University of Toronto
• DT
  Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
• GU
  Göteborgs Universitet
• SU
  Stockholms Universitet
• HE
  H2020 European Research Council

  Award: ERC-2016-ADG-743080