Human activities on Earth have affected the natural water cycle beyond a critical point, threatening to affect the health of the entire planet, new scientific research revealed this week. Researchers found “evidence of widespread changes” in levels of soil moisture compared to pre-industrial conditions, meaning the planet has become drier since the Industrial Revolution. They now believe the planet’s freshwater boundary has already been “considerably transgressed”, meaning that humans have affected the natural water cycle in a critical way that has made the planet less habitable. The concept o…