Pushing the toxic boundary: chemical pollution, planetary boundaries and science in media

The Burning Case

Chemicals are everywhere today: in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink.
But did you know the production of chemical products has multiplied by 50 since 1950, and that it is expected to triple again by 2050? Meanwhile, the total mass of plastics on the planet is now more than double the mass of all living mammals, and around 80% of all plastics ever produced remain in the environment,
These are some of the numbers that prompted the Stokholm Resilience Center to announce that we, humanity, have officially crosssed the 5th planetary boundary, the one on chemical pollution.
Each of the 9 boundary has indicators, under which living conditions on Earth remain favorable and "safe" for humans. While this is a pretty big deal, it's been barely covered in mainstream media, just like every other climate and environmental news.
In this episode, we discuss with Dr. Bethanie Carney Almroth, a professor of ecotoxicology and Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, a PhD candidate at the Stockholm Resilience Centre about the planetary boundaries, the coverage of science in media, the influence of the chemical lobby and what policy makers should do to tackle chemical pollution.