This crossword features terms that are associated with the growing worldwide concern of the well-being and sustainability of our environment — physical, biological, and social. The clues mention the number of letters in each word/part of the solution, and if the solution is an abbreviation.

Across

2 These salts—from fertilizer runoff, untreated wastewater, and certain detergents—dumped into waterways accelerate algal growth and deplete waterbodies of oxygen (10)

5 A celestial wanderer, like the one we inhabit (6)

6 [abbr.] Powerful, roomy, gas-guzzling automobile (1,1,1) 9 Sounds like the birthing of a mammal, but refers to an ominous detachment of a glacier section (7)

11 Cope, when change is around and upon us (5)

12 Literally something that flows out, like liquid or gaseous factory waste (8)

13 The living variety that the world is losing some of every minute (12)

15 Ironically the name of this extremely expensive spice whose cultivation requires a unique set of environmental conditions is often used to mean plain/unexciting (7)

16 [abbr.] The class of compounds—released from refrigerators and air-conditioners—that depletes stratospheric ozone (1,1,1)

18 [abbr.] Substances in paints, solvents, dry-cleaned clothing, wood preservatives, air fresheners, and many cleaners and disinfectants that give us that ‘new’ smell and damage air quality (1,1,1)

19 Careful as we might be to avoid disposable bags and utensils, there’s no escaping these small particles that enter living beings through food and water (13)

20 Providing people with inaccurate or misleading information on the positive environmental impact of a policy or product (12)

24 A steep rise of this in groundwater should teach us not to take environment warnings with a pinch of salt (8)

Down

1 Gradual leaching, over years, of harmful inhalants into the air from installed flooring, furniture, and furnishings (3-7)

2 [abbr.] 350 ___ is considered the safe limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (1,1,1)

3, 17 This is the goal that we are striving for: wellbeing and equity through attention to human socio-politico-economic systems and the Earth’s natural systems (9,6)

4 [abbr.] This international organisation is well known for its Red List of Threatened Species, an inventory of the conservation status of species (1,1,1,1)

7 [abbr.] A levy on goods and services applied at various stages in the supply chain, we can look forward to higher amounts applied to environmental pollutants and subsidies for solar power and organic products (1,1,1)

8 This status in the IUCN Red List is what links an Iberian lynx to a Blue whale and a Whooping crane (10)

10 The dynamic interaction of susceptibility, exposure, and resilience that contributes to the possibility of being harmed (13)

14 [abbr.] This international body was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Association and the United Nations Environment Program to advance scientific knowledge of human activities contributing to environmental change (1,1,1,1)

18 In physics a quantity that has magnitude and direction, in the world of disease, it is usually an insect that conveys a germ from an infected animal to another (6)

20, 22, 15 A truly safe, international location to put botanical genetic samples on ice for posterity (6, 4, 5)

21 A less polite term for an environment enthusiast, something that many of us aspire to (6)

23 The largest antelope in Asia, often considered a pest by farmers, its name comes from the appearance of the male (6)

Note: This crossword was created and circulated in 2023 to promote interest and engagement in the development of the Planetary Health research program at The George Institute for Global Health (https://www.georgeinstitute.org/healthier-societies/planetary-health-initiative). The encouragement of the Planetary Health Research Strategy Task Team is appreciated.

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