"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 imperilled." This stark assertion sets the tone for the alarm raised by scientists regarding the current state of our climate, indicating that without immediate action, the consequences could be catastrophic and irreversible.
"The climate crisis isn't a distant threat, it's a here-and-now crisis," says Michael Mann at the University of Pennsylvania. This emphasizes that the consequences of climate change are not a future worry but are being felt currently, urging immediate attention and action to combat ongoing dangers.
In their report assessing 35 "planetary vital signs", the researchers found that 25 of those metrics reached record levels this year, many breaking records set just last year. This underlines the urgency of the situation as many environmental indicators continue to show alarming changes, which signal that we are in a critical state.
Greenhouse gas emissions this year have surpassed the equivalent of 40.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, driving atmospheric levels of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide to new highs. This alarming statistic clearly indicates the severity of the current contributions to climate change, necessitating immediate interventions.
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