The safe boundaries that have already been crossed include climate change; the loss of natural species, habitat and freshwater; and more pollutants, including plastics and chemical fertilisers. Photo: 123rf
The world's oceans are close to becoming too acidic to properly sustain marine life or help stabilise the climate.
The report by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research details nine factors that are crucial for regulating the planet's ability to sustain life.
In six of these areas, the safe limit has already been exceeded in recent years as a result of human activity.
The crucial threshold for ocean acidification could soon become the seventh to be breached, according to the Institute.
The safe boundaries that have already been crossed include climate change; the loss of natural species, habitat and freshwater; and more pollutants, including plastics and chemical fertilisers.
The sustainable level of ocean acidification is now also set to be exceeded, largely as a result of ever-increasing emissions of carbon dioxide created by burning fossil fuels.
AFP reports one of the lead authors, Boris Sakschewski, saying as emissions increase, "more of it dissolves in sea water...making the oceans more acidic."
"Even with rapid emission cuts, some level of continued acidification may be unavoidable due to the CO2 already emitted and the time it takes for the ocean system to respond," he said.
"Therefore, breaching the ocean acidification boundary appears inevitable within the coming years."