2023-10-27 06:07:56
An aerial view of the Tumbira River, affected by the Negro River drought, in the Negro River Sustainable Development Reserve, in Iranduba, Amazonas state, Brazil, October 7, 2023. Image: BRUNO KELLY/REUTERS
Experts conclude that “drastic changes” are coming if these areas of concern, such as “unbearable heat or water shortages,” are not addressed, with irreversible consequences for humanity.
Water scarcity and the extinction of species can have irreversible and deadly effects if humanity does not change course, according to a study published this Wednesday (10/25/2023) by the United Nations University, based in Bonn (Germany).
“As we indiscriminately extract our water resources, damage nature and biodiversity, and pollute Earth and space, we are moving dangerously close to the brink of multiple tipping points that could destroy the systems on which our lives depend,” Zita said. Sebesvari, one of the authors of the study, told the DPA news agency.
The Interconnected Disaster Risk Report 2023, published by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), warns of six “tipping points” or areas of concern: accelerated extinctions, depletion of groundwater, the melting of mountain glaciers, space pollution, unbearable heat and, in general, a future that cannot be assured.
Such “tipping points” are reached when a system is no longer able to buffer risks and perform its functions, and go beyond the individual domains of climate, ecosystems, society and technology. The authors argue that they are intrinsically interconnected and closely linked to human activities and livelihoods.
The study gives as an example that some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have already passed this tipping point of groundwater risk, and others such as India are not far from reaching it.
View of Lake Titicaca, shared by Bolivia and Peru, with its water level at historic lows due to climate change and a serious drought, on September 22, 2023. Image: AIZAR RALDES/AFP
The study explains that when ecosystems, food or water systems deteriorate, “it is not usually a simple and predictable process. “Rather, instability increases slowly until, suddenly, a tipping point is reached and the system fundamentally changes or even collapses, with potentially catastrophic impacts.”
The experts in this study recommend that solutions be taken that address the root causes behind these phenomena to avoid them, rather than applying others designed to adapt to them, thus warning that these risks entail “drastic changes” if they are not adequately addressed.
The report states that the ideal action to take is to “transform,” which means fundamentally reimagining “a stronger, more sustainable system.”
aa/rr (efe,dpa,ONU)
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