Imagine the Earth as a living organism that responds to external influences. A groundbreaking new study, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, has for the first time looked at our planet from a unique "rheological" perspective. perspective, as if we were observers from space. It's not just about the carbon balance, but how the Earth is physically responding to the continued increase in CO2 emissions caused by humans. The results are alarming and suggest that The state of the Earth is much worse than is generally believed.

Human "pressure" on the Earth: Authors studies called anthropogenic (human-caused) CO2 emissions "stressor" acting on EarthFrom 1850 to 2021, the global “stress force” exerted by humans on the planet has increased dramatically. from zero to approximately 15 Pa per yearYou can think of this as the ever-increasing pressure that humanity is putting on the Earth's natural systems.

How the Earth "reacts": A rheological perspective: To understand this response, the scientists used a rheological model known as a Maxwell body, which combines elastic and damping (viscous) elements. This model allowed them to quantify how the Earth adapts to this pressure. The Earth's "reaction" or "strain response" is manifested, for example, volumetric expansion of the atmosphere and the ability of oceans and land to absorb CO2This Earth response also increased significantly over the period 1850-2021, from zero to about 24.

Turning point: The critical year 1925-1945: One of the most surprising findings is that the Earth has undergone a fundamental change in its dynamics in the past. The study identified a "tipping point" sometimes between 1925 and 1945Interestingly, the Earth's ability to absorb carbon was increasing until about 1932, but since then decreased significantlyAfter this tipping point, when the rate of system response time slowdown has reached its maximum, the land-ocean subsystem no longer responds to stress characteristically, i.e. outside its natural regimeThis means that its ability to naturally cope with human pressure has been impaired.

Worrying consequences: This discovery suggests that the Earth system has been on a "slowly ending journey of life" ever sinceIt's not necessarily an immediate collapse of the entire planet, but it does mean that the Earth is becoming increasingly vulnerable against local incidents that exceed thresholds. These smaller, bottom-up events could ultimately cause collapse of the entire atmosphere-land-ocean system.

What this means for us: This study provides a new, deeper look at the long-term consequences of human carbon emissions. Rather than the usual view of the carbon balance, it shows us how the Earth's physical mechanisms are under serious strain and reaching their limits. It is a powerful reminder that our planet is not an infinite absorber and its ability to absorb our impact is limited. The call for accountability for our emissions is more urgent than ever. Spring

The study is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment .