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Drought, desertification, soil degradation… The cycle of green water, ie that absorbed by plants, is deeply disturbed and has serious consequences on the viability of our environment. Emma Haziza, hydrologist, issues the alert.
The collapse continues. Out of nine planetary boundaries, a sixth has just been officially exceeded: that of the freshwater cycle. Divided into two categories, green water – absorbed by plants – and blue water – which flows to the sea – the water cycle is one of the variables essential to the viability of our environment. For the first time studied within planetary boundaries, disruption of the green water cycle has serious consequences for soil quality. However, according to a study by the Potsdam Institute and the Stockholm Resilience Center, published on Tuesday in the journal Nature, humans have deeply and seriously disturbed this cycle. While blue water resources are still in the safety zone, green water is reaching critical thresholds. Consequence: the soil is drying up and desertifying, jeopardizing the entire balance of the Earth system, on which all living things depend. Emma Haziza, researcher in adaptation and mitigation of climate change and hydrologist, alert on…