"Planetary-scale" activities could impact life on Earth: Aussie researchers

Human life could be impacted upon due to "planetary-scale" human activities over the last 60 years, according to new research released by the Australian National University (ANU) on Friday.

An international team of researchers, working at the ANU, have spent five years determining nine worldwide processes that underpin life on Earth.

In their latest report, they revealed that four of the nine core processes have already exceeded "safe conditions", while two have been impacted upon so significantly that they "pose serious risks to future human well-being".

The four processes that have crossed planetary boundaries include: climate change caused by carbon emissions, the loss of biosphere integrity due to high rates of species extinction, land system change and altered biogeochemical cycles.

The effects of two of those four, climate change and the loss of biosphere integrity, have the potential to risk turning Earth into a new, less hospitable state.

"Human activities could drive the Earth into a much less hospitable state," lead researcher at the ANU, Prof. Will Steffen, said on Friday.

"In this research, we have more accurately assessed the risk of this happening." Endi