In a paper published in Science, Johan Rockstrom, an Earth resilience strategist, posits that humans have already passed four of the nine limits for hospitable life.
By Rockstrom's estimates, we should maintain 90 percent of Earth's biodiversity, but in some parts of the world, biodiversity has dropped to 84 percent. And while Rockstrom believes humans should maintain 75 percent of Earth's original forests, we've only maintained 62 percent. The other two limits Rockstrom believes we've passed are because of humanity's increased use of phosphorus and nitrogen in ecosystems and increased carbon dioxide levels, which have resulted in climate change.
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