Lines We Don’t Want to Cross: Synthetic Chemicals and Plastics Threaten Planetary Health

We know that synthetic chemicals and plastics can harm human and environmental health, but the potential for harm is much greater than that. Overproduction and inadequate regulation of these substances may be endangering the healthy functioning of the earth’s system as a whole and may have contributed to pushing the planet into a higher risk zone where “irreversible changes to the earth’s life support systems” are more likely to occur. This situation poses as great a risk to our planet as climate change, the hole in the ozone layer, or biodiversity loss, and we cannot afford to continue producing these substances as though nothing has changed. Urgent action is needed to reduce both the production of plastics and the toxicity of synthetic chemicals to bring the planet back into a safer, more stable balance. This fact sheet outlines the scope of the problem and suggests policy solutions for reducing harm.