What Is Space Debris and Is It an Environmental Problem?
Space debris refers to defunct human-made objects in Earth orbit, including spent rocket stages, dead satellites, and fragments from collisions. It poses an environmental…
Topic archive
Novel Entities
Emergence of synthetic chemicals and new materials affecting ecosystems.
Antibiotic Residues and Antimicrobial Resistance: A Comprehensive Overview
Antibiotic residues are traces of antibiotics that remain in food or the environment after use, while antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microbes…
Satellite Pollution and the Night Sky
Satellite pollution refers to the unintended light and radio interference caused by artificial satellites, particularly large constellations in low Earth orbit, which brighten the…
Legacy Pollutants vs Emerging Contaminants: A Comprehensive Comparison
Legacy pollutants are well-known, persistent toxic substances like lead and DDT that have been regulated for decades but still linger in the environment. Emerging…
Pharmaceutical Pollution in Rivers: Sources, Impacts, and Solutions
Pharmaceutical pollution in rivers refers to the presence of active pharmaceutical ingredients and their metabolites in freshwater systems, primarily from human and veterinary use.…
What Counts as a Novel Entity?
A novel entity is a new substance, a new form of an existing substance, or a modified life form introduced by human activities that…
Why There Is No Single Global Boundary for Chemical Pollution
Chemical pollution cannot be captured by a single global boundary because it encompasses hundreds of thousands of diverse substances with different toxicities, environmental fates,…
Novel Entities Explained: Chemicals, Plastics and Planetary Risk
Learn what novel entities are, why chemicals, plastics, PFAS, pesticides, and other synthetic substances are a planetary boundary, and how they threaten Earth's life-support…
Why Chemical Pollution Is Difficult to Measure
Chemical pollution is difficult to measure because of the vast number of chemicals in use, their complex environmental behavior, and limitations in analytical technology.…
What Are Novel Entities? A Clear Explanation of the Planetary Boundary Concept
Novel entities are human-introduced substances or organisms that can disrupt Earth's systems. They are one of the nine planetary boundaries, and their control is…