Humanity at ‘code red,’ facing climate emergency, scientists warn

A coalition of thousands of scientists has updated its 2019 World Scientists Warning of a Climate Emergency, saying the earth is entering “uncharted territory” with its capacity to support life “under siege.”

In the report, the more than 15,000 signers wrote that the recent shattering of numerous temperature records indicate serious threats to the planet’s “vital signs.” The term refers to 35 indicators, ranging from human population and energy consumption to Brazilian Amazon rainforest loss. Twenty of these vital signs are currently displaying record extremes, according to the report.

Three of the central greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, are all at record levels, according to the warning, and average global CO2 concentration is far above the recommended boundary of 350 parts per million. The authors also note that 2023 saw its hottest summer on record and is likely to rank among the hottest overall years ever recorded.

Last year, the warning notes, featured the third-highest frequency of extremely hot days relative to 1961-1990 ever recorded. 

Ocean acidity, glacier thickness and Greenland ice mass have all reached all-time lows, while the oceans are warmer than ever, which could have downstream effects ranging from sea life loss to intensified tropical storms of the type the planet has already seen. Extreme weather in 2023 indicates that threats are emerging in atypical areas, such as flooding in northern China and a storm in the Mediterranean that killed thousands, predominantly Libyans.

The warning also notes that despite hopes in some quarters for a “green recovery,” fossil fuel use skyrocketed after the lifting of COVID-19-related closures. Renewable energy consumption grew 17 percent between 2021 and 2022, but fossil fuel energy consumption is still about 15 times greater, and while the Russian invasion of Ukraine has hastened the transition to renewables in parts of Europe, some countries may eventually supplant the loss of Russian gas with coal. Fossil fuel subsidies have increased 107 percent since the invasion.

Deforestation, meanwhile, has shown positive signs, such as a 9.7 percent decrease in the global tree cover loss rate and the loss of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a committed opponent of Amazon preservation, in his 2022 re-election bid.

However, the planet is not currently on track to reverse deforestation by the end of the decade, the authors wrote, and devastating Canadian wildfires have contributed to both deforestation and carbon emissions.  

Ultimately, the authors wrote, one of the major challenges is the conflict between the conventional idea of economic growth and environmental goals. 

“We therefore need to change our economy to a system that supports meeting basic needs for all people instead of excessive consumption by the wealthy,” they wrote, noting that in 2019, 48 percent of global emissions were created by the wealthiest 10 percent of emitters, while the bottom 50 percent emitted just 12 percent.

“Rather than focusing only on carbon reduction and climate change, addressing the underlying issue of ecological overshoot will give us our best shot at surviving these challenges in the long run. This is our moment to make a profound difference for all life on Earth, and we must embrace it with unwavering courage and determination to create a legacy of change that will stand the test of time.”