Climate-related disasters shown in the report.
Top (L-R): Rescue of people stranded by floods in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil, 2024; Duda Fortes, Agência RBS); “Drought in Ethiopia due to rains unrealised” (Ethiopia, 2011; Oxfam East Africa; CC BY 2.0). Bottom: Firefighters contain a bushfire burning around the town of Aberdare (Australia, 2013; Quarrie Photography, Jeff Walsh, Cass Hodge; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0); The aftermath of Hurricane Matthew (Haiti, 2016; UN Photo / Logan Abassi; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
A new report from a team of international scientists has revealed harsh realities on Earth, with 25 of 35 planetary vital signs reaching record extremes. Without immediate action, scientists warn that these extremes could threaten life on Earth.
In the new study, published in the journal BioScience, scientists presented a stark look at the state of the climate crisis.
“We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster. This is a global emergency beyond any doubt. Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled. We are stepping into a critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis,” the scientists wrote.
Scientists use 35 different planetary vital signs to track the effects of climate change, including human population, global tree cover loss, meat production per capita, energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, ice mass changes, glacier thickness and more.
(John Crux Photography/Moment/Getty Images)
Almost Half of Earth’s Vital Signs Are Now ‘Code Red’, Scientists Warn
By David Nield
A new report from a coalition of international scientists is unequivocal about the severity of the environmental crisis that we’re in, with 16 out of the 35 ‘vital signs’ used to track climate change now rated as code red – that is, they’re at record extremes.
The number of climate-related disasters is escalating, the report warns, with related human suffering – already at levels that are difficult to quantify and imagine – set to keep on rising rapidly as well.
We’re now faced with a stark choice: make quick and meaningful changes to the way we live our lives and treat the planet, or face the very real possibility of global societal collapse further down the line.
“As we can see by the annual surges in climate disasters, we are now in the midst of a major climate crisis, with far worse to come if we keep doing things the way we’ve been doing them,” says ecologist Christopher Wolf from Oregon State University.
“We implore our fellow scientists to join us in advocating for research-based approaches to climate and environmental decision-making.”
Some of the issues that the team points towards include the increasing frequency of extreme heat events, rising global tree cover loss (with wildfires playing a major role in that), and more cases of the mosquito-borne dengue virus.
There’s also the matter of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, which are now at their highest since records began: 418 parts per million. Meanwhile, 2022 is on track to be one of the hottest years on record.
Other vital signs tracked by the researchers include surface temperature anomalies, Antarctica ice mass change, ocean acidity, and major floods in the US costing at least a billion dollars to clean up.
The report also mentions numerous climate change-related events that have occurred just this year: the worst drought in Europe in 500 years, for example; record-breaking rainfall on the east coast of Australia; a deadly heat wave in India and Pakistan; widespread dust storms in the Middle East; and a severe flood that destroyed roads in Yellowstone National Park in the US, to name a few.
“Climate change is not a standalone issue,” says sustainability scientist Saleemul Huq from Independent University, Bangladesh. “It is part of a larger systemic problem of ecological overshoot where human demand is exceeding the regenerative capacity of the biosphere.”
“To avoid more untold human suffering, we need to protect nature, eliminate most fossil fuel emissions and support socially just climate adaptations with a focus on low-income areas that are most vulnerable.”
Experts predict a rise of 3 degrees Celsius in terms of global warming by 2100, a temperature level that the planet hasn’t seen for some 3 million years. However, despite repeated warnings, many trends are still going in the wrong direction.
The researchers have put together a 35-minute documentary called The Scientist’s Warning to spur more action and increase awareness. They’re hoping that more and more scientists now make a stand about the urgent action that needs to be taken.
There is still hope. The researchers note an unprecedented numbers of scientists are speaking out about the climate crisis, and are calling for “massive-scale climate change mitigation and adaptation” to happen immediately for the sake of future generations.
“Look at all of these heat waves, fires, floods and massive storms,” says ecologist William Ripple, from Oregon State University. “The specter of climate change is at the door and pounding hard.”
The research has been published in BioScience.
Home – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet (nasa.gov)
Twenty-five of these vital signs are already breaking records, including human population, coal and oil consumption, ruminant livestock populations, U.S. heat-related deaths, carbon emissions, methane levels, fossil fuel subsidies, ocean heat content changes, ocean acidification, glacier thickness and tree cover loss, among others.
The 25 planetary vital signs that have reached record levels, as reported by researchers, include:
1 Greenhouse Gas Concentrations: Levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are at all-time highs.
2 Global Surface Temperatures: Average temperatures are increasing rapidly.
3 Ocean Heat Content: Oceans are absorbing more heat, leading to rising sea temperatures.
4 Sea Level Rise: Global sea levels are rising due to melting ice and thermal expansion.
5 Forest Loss: Deforestation rates are increasing, leading to significant tree cover loss.
6 Biodiversity Decline: Many species are facing extinction at an alarming rate.
7 Fossil Fuel Consumption: The use of fossil fuels remains high, contributing to climate change.
8 Human Population: The global population continues to grow, putting more pressure on natural resources.
9 Energy Consumption: Overall energy use is increasing, often from non-renewable sources.
10 Ocean Acidification: Increased CO2 levels are making oceans more acidic.
11 Heat-Related Mortality: Deaths related to extreme heat are rising.
12 Global GDP: Economic activities continue to grow, often at the expense of the environment.
13 Livestock Numbers: The number of livestock is increasing, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
14 Food Production: Intensive agriculture is impacting the environment.
15 Government-Declared Climate Emergencies: More governments are recognizing the climate crisis.
16 Wildfires: The frequency and intensity of wildfires are increasing.
17 Floods: Severe flooding events are becoming more common.
18 Droughts: Prolonged droughts are affecting more regions.
19 Glacial Melting: Glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates.
20 Freshwater Availability: Access to clean freshwater is decreasing.
21 Air Quality: Pollution levels are worsening in many areas.
22 Plastic Pollution: Plastic waste is accumulating in oceans and landfills.
23 Soil Degradation: Soil quality is declining due to overuse and erosion.
24 Chemical Pollution: The use of harmful chemicals is impacting ecosystems.
25 Extreme Weather Events: The frequency and severity of extreme weather events are increasing.
These indicators highlight the urgent need for global action to address climate change and protect our planet.
What are your thoughts on how we can tackle these issues?
According to the scientists, the human population is increasing by around 200,000 people per day, while ruminant livestock populations are increasing by around 170,000 animals per day. They also found that fossil fuel consumption increased 1.5% in 2023.
A separate report, the 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment, recently confirmed a decrease in tree cover, with 6.3 million hectares of land deforested in 2023.
Although the scientists did find that renewable energy consumption increased in 2023, renewables are still not overtaking fossil fuel demand enough to limit severe impacts of climate change.
Further, scientists warned that atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane concentrations have reached record highs, the average surface temperature of the Earth is at a record high, ocean acidity has broken records, ocean heating is at an all-time high, and global sea levels are at the highest amounts ever recorded.
On the other hand, Greenland and Antarctic ice masses have reached record lows, and the average global glacier thickness is at an all-time low.
We are already seeing the devastating impacts of these vital signs hitting extremes, with a 117% increase in heat deaths in the U.S. from 1999 to 2023. Last year, areas across Asia experienced deadly heat waves that killed thousands of people, the report authors warned.
Now, the U.S. is facing two back-to-back hurricanes amid rising ocean temperatures, which have nearly doubled in the past two decades, a recent report from EU Copernicus found.
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The authors of the report on the planetary vital signs are warning that governments need to take immediate actions to protect life on Earth. They have recommended actions and policies such as establishing a global carbon price, replacing fossil fuels with renewables, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging plant-based eating, protecting and restoring ecosystems, and reducing overconsumption and waste, especially by the wealthy.
“A large portion of the very fabric of life on our planet is imperiled,” said William Ripple, a professor at Oregon State University College of Forestry, which led the study. “Ecological overshoot, taking more than the Earth can safely give, has pushed the planet into climatic conditions more threatening than anything witnessed even by our prehistoric relatives. We’re already in the midst of abrupt climate upheaval, which jeopardizes life on Earth like nothing humans have ever seen.”
Key climate indicators from greenhouse gas levels to ice loss have reached record levels this year in what researchers call a “critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis”
8 October 2024
A wildfire burns in California on 30 July 2024
David McNew/Getty Images
A growing number of the planet’s “vital signs” have reached record levels due to climate change and other environmental threats, according to a stark report by a group of prominent researchers.
“We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster,” write William Ripple at Oregon State University and his colleagues. “This is a global emergency beyond any doubt. Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled.”
Read more: Our plans to tackle climate change with carbon storage don’t add up
The report is the fifth annual State of the Climate report led by Ripple in an effort to present a clear warning of what the researchers say is a crisis given the extremes measured across key climate indicators, from greenhouse gas levels to tree cover loss.
“The climate crisis isn’t a distant threat, it’s a here-and-now crisis,” says Michael Mann at the University of Pennsylvania, one of several well-known co-authors of the report, which also includes historian Naomi Oreskes, Earth scientist Tim Lenton and oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf.
The researchers assessed 35 “planetary vital signs”, including the amount of heat in the oceans and the thickness of glaciers. The vital signs also include measures of the human factors driving many of those changes, such as meat production per capita and subsidies for fossil fuels.
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https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/?intent=111
Global Temperature – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
The 10 most recent years are the warmest years on record. This graph shows the change in global surface temperature compared to the long-term average from 1951 to 1980. Earth’s …
Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
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