Published by
Mongabay
Mongabay
The sum of human waste produced by 7.8 billion people is grossly impacting human health and the environment, with wastewater adding around 6.2 million tons of nitrogen to coastal waters annually, along with unknown amounts of other pollutants ranging from pharmaceuticals to microplastics. Sewage and wastewater pollution are so bad, in fact, that they’re contributing to the destabilization of Earth’s safe operating systems, negatively impacting at least five planetary boundaries — polluting freshwater, oceans and land with nutrient overloads and other contaminants; harming biodiversity; and eve…