Earth's 'Vital Signs' At Extreme Levels, Researchers Warn Of 'Irreversible Climate Disaster'

It won’t be wrong to say that climate change is one of the biggest threats that humanity has been facing. With more frequent and intense heat waves, melting glaciers, storms, rising sea levels and warming oceans, it has drastically affected the planet in the last few decades. In the wake of these changes, new research suggests that Earth might be on the brink of a climate disaster with its major “vital signs” hitting a record extreme.

A team of researchers from the Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Germany, in a report have suggested that extreme weather events have become more frequent and extreme, with fossil fuel emissions at an all-time high. With the Earth’s vital signs reaching unprecedented levels, it has signalled “the future of humanity at stake,” the group said, as quoted by The Guardian.

Earth’s 25 Vital Signs At Record Extremes

The report that evaluates 35 vital signs has 25 with worse conditions than ever before, including levels of carbon dioxide and the human population. This suggests a “critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis,” it added.

The report also found that the temperatures of both Earth’s surface and oceans have surged to record highs, primarily due to extensive fossil fuel consumption. While the human population is rising by roughly 200,000 daily, the livestock numbers have also increased by 170,000 each day, contributing to unprecedented greenhouse gas emissions. “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,” they wrote.

In a bid to motivate informed and decisive action, the researchers have emphasised the urgency of addressing the underlying issues like fossil fuel consumption, methane emissions, overconsumption and promoting plant-based diets.

“We’re already in the midst of abrupt climate upheaval, which jeopardises life on Earth like nothing humans have ever seen. Climate change has already displaced millions of people, with the potential to displace hundreds of millions or even billions. That would likely lead to greater geopolitical instability, possibly even partial societal collapse,” Oregon State University’s Professor William Ripple, who co-led the group, said.