The latest climate report marks a challenging phase for Earth, with increasing environmental records and dwindling natural resources. Urgent calls for decisive global policy reforms underscore the critical need for sustainable practices and international unity to address the climate emergency.

Urgent climate action is needed

The deterioration in Earth’s vital indicators signals “a critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis” and that “decisive action is needed, and quickly,” an international coalition led by Oregon State University scientists concludes in its annual report published today (October 8). . .” »

The collaboration, led by OSU’s William Ripple and former doctoral student Christopher Wolff, identifies critical areas for policy intervention (energy, pollutants, nature, food, and economy) in the published Climate Report 2024: Dangerous Times for Planet Earth. inside bioscience.

“Much of life on our planet is at risk,” said Ripple, a distinguished professor at Oregon State University’s College of Forestry. “We are already in the midst of severe climate shocks that are putting life on Earth at risk in ways humans have never seen before. Ecological excess, taking more than the Earth can safely deliver, has pushed the planet into climates more threatening than anything even our prehistoric relatives have witnessed.”

Record high levels of environmental stress

It notes that 25 of the 35 vital indicators for the planet that scientists use to annually track climate change have record extremes. A climate report shows that July 2024 saw the three hottest days in history, with population and ruminants reaching record levels, as well as fossil fuel emissions.

The human population is growing by about 200,000 people per day, and the number of ruminants (hoofed mammals such as cattle, sheep and goats, which produce greenhouse gases and are energy-intensive to raise) is increasing by about 170,000 per day.

Renewable energy and ecosystem loss

The report stated that annual fossil fuel consumption will increase by 1.5% in 2023, mainly due to the strong increase in the use of coal (1.6%) and oil (2.5%).

Renewable energy use also increased in 2023; Solar and wind consumption together increased by 15% by 2022. However, renewable energy use accounts for only one-fourth of fossil fuel use, and the recent increase in renewable energy use can be mainly attributed to increased demand. Not because they replace fossil fuels.

The report shows annual tree cover loss worldwide has increased from 22.8 million hectares in 2022 to 28.3 million hectares in 2023, and atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane concentrations have risen to all-time highs compared to year-to-date global averages.

The consequences of inaction and the call for policy change

“The rate of increase in methane emissions is accelerating, and that’s extremely concerning,” said Wolfe, who now works as a scientist at Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates, known as TERA, in Corvallis. “Potrous and long-lasting nitric oxide is also at record levels.”

Wolff notes other worrying points in the report:

• The Earth’s average surface temperature is the highest it has ever been.
• In addition to ocean acidity and warming, global average sea level is also at record levels.
• Greenland ice mass, Antarctic ice mass and average glacier thickness are at their lowest levels.
• Twenty-eight reinforcing feedback loops have been identified that exacerbate climate change, such as melting permafrost.
• There were 2,325 heat-related deaths in the United States in 2023; This was up 117% from 1999.

“Since the publication of our 2023 report, numerous climate-related disasters have occurred, including a series of heat waves across Asia that killed more than a thousand people and sent temperatures reaching 122 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of India,” Ripple said. he said. “Climate change has already displaced millions of people; it has the potential to displace hundreds of millions, even billions of people. This will likely lead to greater geopolitical instability, possibly even partial social collapse.”

The scientists say their goal is to “provide citizens with clear, evidence-based information that will inspire researchers and world leaders to provide informed and bold responses.” In particular, they recommend rapid adoption of the following policies:

• Potentially fund more climate action while imposing a global price on carbon emissions that could limit the emissions of the wealthy.
• Increase energy efficiency and savings while replacing fossil fuels with low-carbon renewable sources.
• Limit greenhouse gas emissions, including short-lived pollutants like methane.
• Protect and restore biodiverse ecosystems that play an important role in carbon cycling and storage.
• Encourage a change in eating habits that emphasizes plant-based foods.
• Promote a sustainable green economy and significantly reduce overconsumption and waste by the wealthy.
• Integrate climate change education into global curricula to increase awareness, literacy and action.

“Despite six reports by the International Panel on Climate Change, hundreds of other reports, tens of thousands of scientific papers and 28 annual meetings of the UN Conference of the Parties, the world has made little progress in combating climate change.” Wolff said: “Humanity’s future depends on creativity, moral strength and perseverance. Decisive and rapid action is needed if future generations are to inherit the world they deserve.”