Dire warning: Time is up

Dire warning: Time is up

As they further state, it could threaten the lives of up to six billion people by the end of the century.

In the study "Climate State Report 2023: Entering Unexplored Territory", published in the journal Bioscience, specific climate events this year are pointed out.

It points to unprecedented heat waves around the world, record ocean temperatures and historically low ice levels around Antarctica, which show that planet Earth is entering "uncharted territory in terms of the climate crisis".

Unless urgent measures are taken, scientists have warned of "potential collapse of natural and socioeconomic systems", unbearable heat, frequent extreme weather events, shortages of food and fresh water, rising sea levels, new diseases and increased social unrest and geopolitical conflicts.

"Life on planet Earth is under siege. We are now in uncharted territory. For several decades, scientists have consistently warned of a future marked by extreme climate conditions due to escalating global temperatures caused by human activities that release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, time has expired," warned a team of 12 scientists from the US, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Great Britain, China, the Netherlands and other countries. Their report points out that during 2023, a number of climate-related records were broken and there were worrisome natural disasters, while at the same time humanity is making minimal progress in the fight against climate change.

There have been 38 days this year when the average global temperature was more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and it is estimated that this year is likely to be the hottest on record.

In addition to the record land surface temperature recorded in July, the report notes that the extent of Antarctic sea ice in July reached its lowest value since the beginning of satellite monitoring, as well as other records when it comes to ocean temperature, sea level, fires and floods. In order to stop global warming, scientists emphasize that it is necessary to eliminate gas emissions from fossil fuels.

The report states that while renewable energy consumption has increased by 17 percent from 2021 to 2022, it is still 15 times less than fossil fuel energy consumption. Scientists indicate that the war in Ukraine accelerated the transition to renewable sources in Europe, but also that it forced some countries to switch from Russian gas to coal and to drastically increase subsidies for fossil fuels.

Climate change has also reduced the extent of global growth in agricultural productivity, so there is a danger that hunger will escalate if urgent measures are not taken, the report said, recalling that in 2022 about 735 million people were facing hunger, an increase of about 122 million more than in 2019.

"The effects of global warming are progressively more serious. By the end of this century, it is estimated that three to six billion people, roughly one-third to one-half of the world's population, could find themselves in an uninhabitable region, facing extreme heat, limited food availability and increased mortality due to the effects of climate change," the study states.

The climate emergency, the scientists pointed out, must be seen as a systemic, existential threat, and not as an isolated environmental issue. First of all, it is necessary to stop the excessive exploitation of the planet and the loss of biodiversity, the scientists pointed out, judging that the endless growth and excessive consumption of rich countries and individuals is unsustainable and unfair.

"We are committed to reducing over-consumption of resources, reducing, reusing and recycling waste in a more circular economy and prioritizing human flourishing and sustainability," they said in the report.

Scientists have emphasized that a concerted effort is necessary to ensure climate justice, which involves a fair distribution of the costs and benefits of climate action in less affluent and more vulnerable parts of the world. They also called for "the stabilization and gradual reduction of the human population with gender justice through voluntary family planning and support for women's education and rights, thereby reducing the fertility rate and raising the standard of living."

"As scientists, we are increasingly being asked to simply and directly tell the public the truth about the crises we are facing. The truth is that we are shocked by the severity of extreme weather events in 2023. We fear the uncharted territory we have now entered," the authors of the report said, saying that it is their moral duty as scientists to clearly warn humanity of any potential existential threat.