The fascinating concept of the nine "planetary boundaries" was first introduced in 2009 to represent Earth's system processes, which create dangerous levels of uncertainty beyond certain points if crossed. The first is the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and the second is a recent study indicating that the green water planetary boundary has been transgressed. I reflect upon all these catastrophic events in the context of two milestones this year. Just ask the volunteers who helped remove 40 tonnes of dead fish that washed up on the shores of Lake Litani in Lebanon last year. Unfortunately, unlike our freshwater supply, we have more than enough examples of water contamination. The sad truth is, we don't have to go back as far as 2014. Let me take you back to August 2014, when more than 400,000 residents of Toledo, Ohio, were left without potable water for two days due to the high level of toxins found in Lake Erie. Which brings me to the question: is setting a massive lake on fire possibly the worst thing we can do to our precious bodies of water? I guess you won't be surprised if I argue that the answer is no. This time, it was the burning of a garbage mound in the buffer zone. The first two were attributed to the presence of pollutants in the water. It had happened twice before: First in May 2015 and then in January 2018. Strangely enough, this bizarre event was not new to them. In March 2021, residents of Bengaluru in India, living around Bellandur lake, witnessed their beloved lake in flames. Author: Sudhanshu Sarronwala, Chief Impact Officer at Infarm
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