Catastrophic damage to Earth
The research wing recently warned that the planet is advancing dangerously towards six 'tipping points' that could cause irreversible damage to the planet.
Severe irreversible change
The UN University's Institute for Environment and Human Security(UNU-EHS) termed these "tipping points" as the point at which a given socioecological system is no longer able to buffer risks and carry out its normal function. These tipping points are:
Extinction of species
The report said that 1 million plants and animals can be vanished from the planet 'within decades', with the loss of key species to 'trigger cascading extinctions of dependent species.'
Scarcity of water
The other 'tipping' is scarcity of water. It has been observed that many of the world's biggest aquifers are already depleting faster than they can be replenished, with Saudi Arabia, India and the United States already facing significant risks.
Increase in temperatures
The report also mentioned extreme heatwaves, which could reach a point when our natural self-regulation of temperature by evaporating sweat couldn't help us. Additionally, this will also lead to severe droughts.
Melting of glaciers
Mountain glaciers are melting twice as fast as they did in the past two decades. 'Peak water' - the point when a glacier produces its maximum amount of water runoff due to melting - has been reached or is expected to be reached within the next ten years across small glaciers in Central Europe, Western Canada and South America.
Space debris menace
The researchers also asked to remain cautious of increasing space debris, with collisions set to render the earth's orbit 'unusable' and make future space activity impossible.
Dangerous climate hazards
The report further warned that insurances are being rendered unaffordable because of deteriorating climate hazards, with half a million homes in Australia alone set to be uninsurable by 2030.
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