Identifying Chemicals That Are Planetary Boundary Threats
Identifying Chemicals That Are Planetary Boundary Threats
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DOI：
10.1021/es501893m
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发表时间：
2014-10-07
影响因子：
11.4
通讯作者：
McLachlan, Michael S.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
MacLeod, Matthew;Breitholtz, Magnus;McLachlan, Michael S.
Rockstrom等人提出了一套地球边界，为人类划定了一个安全的操作空间。其他与化学污染有关的行星边界可能存在，但目前尚不清楚。如果一种化学物质同时满足三个条件，那么它就会对行星边界构成未知的威胁：（1）它对地球系统的重要过程具有未知的破坏性影响;（2）这种破坏性影响直到成为全球范围的问题才被发现;（3）这种影响不容易逆转。在本文中，我们概述了化学品可以满足这三个条件中的每一个的情景，然后使用这些情景作为基础来定义适合每个情景的化学品概况。化学品概况是根据化学品影响的性质和环境接触化学品的性质界定的。根据某些特性对商业化学品进行优先排序似乎是可行的，但仍存在相当大的不确定性和科学挑战，必须加以解决。最具挑战性的是优先考虑化学品对生命的潜在影响。地球系统进程。我们的结论是，目前可用于确定对地球边界构成威胁的化学品的最有效战略是，根据环境接触情况确定优先次序，同时监测和研究构成地球系统重要过程基础的地球化学过程，以确定目前未知的破坏性影响。
Rockstrom et al. proposed a set of planetary boundaries that delimit a safe operating space for humanity Many of the planetary boundaries that have so far been identified are determined by chemical agents. Other chemical pollution-related planetary boundaries likely exist, but are currently unknown. A chemical posed an unknown planetary boundary threat if it simultaneously fulfills three conditions (1) it has an unknown disruptive effect on a vital Earth system process; (2) the disruptive effect is not discovered until it is a problem at the global scale, and (3) the effect is not readily reversible. In this paper, we outline scenarios in which chemical could fulfill each of the three conditions, then use the scenarios as the basis to define chemical profiles that fit each scenario. The chemical profiles are defined in terms of the nature of the effect of the chemical and the nature of exposure of the environment to the chemical. Priortization of chemicals in commerce against some of the profiles appears feasible, but there are considerable uncertainites and scientific challenges that must be addressed. Most challenging is prioritizing chemicals for the potential to have a currently unknown effect on a vital. Earth system process. We conclude that the most effective strategy currently available to identify chemicals that are planetary boundary threats is prioritization against profiles defined in terms of environmental exposure combined with monitoring and study of the biogeochemical process that underlie vital Earth system processes to identify currently unknown disruptive effects.