Around 14,000 scientists sign a new report published in the journal BioScience that warns that the “vital signs” of our planet are worsening by leaps and bounds. The critical tipping point has been exceeded at points such as warm-water coral reefs, the Amazon or West Antarctica and Greenland. The researchers propose a political approach based on 3 short-term lines of action to avoid devastation.
How many times have you heard that “there is no planet B”? The human hand has destroyed in little more than a century the earth’s balance, devastating ecosystems, amputating biodiversity and causing, through polluting emissions that mercury rise to levels never seen in the last million years.
The global warming has been felt especially in recent months: after 2020 rated by NASA as the warmest year in history, This summer is reeling from the onslaught of the climate emergency in the form of devastating floods in places as diverse as Germany, Holland, New Zealand, Iran or Zhengzhou, while Canada, the United States or Siberia burn.
Far from reversing the climate crisis, the scientific community warns that it is accelerating. So much so that nearly 14,000 scientists publish a new report in the magazine BioScience that alerts about him worsening of Earth’s “vital signs”.
“We are approaching or have already crossed tipping points associated with critical parts of the Earth system, including the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, warm-water coral reefs, and the Amazon rainforest.“, the researchers point out in this new update.
Two years ago, 11,258 scientists published a document in the same journal warning about the extreme severity of the climate emergency. Now the names of 2,800 scientists and 1,990 jurisdictions that have declared or formally recognized a climate emergency.
The report highlights as particularly worrisome the rise in climate-related disasters, including the Australian mega fires from 2019 to 2020, and the fact that the 3 main greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) established atmospheric concentration records in 2020 and again in 2021.
“This was despite the changes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Thomas Newsome, an environmental scientist at the University of Sydney.
To great evils, great remedies: 3 lines to face the climate crisis
Mitigating climate change requires a change in political approach, for which the authors propose to act on 3 main fronts.
These are stipulate a significantly higher global price for carbon, phase out and eventually ban fossil fuels, and develop climate reserves to protect and restore biodiversity and carbon sinks, such as those provided by the Amazon rainforest.
“We suggest an urgent need for transformative change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, more generally, human overexploitation of the planet.“says Newsome, just as pick up Science Alert.
One of the keys is to convert the economic aid related to the pandemic into climate-friendly aids. “Encouraging to see fossil fuel divestment and fossil fuel subsidies improve on record“.
Glimmers of Hope: Good Data in a World in Crisis
Although the report confirms the poor evolution of the climate crisis and the urgent need to join forces to combat it (a good example of this are the all-time highs in the thaw, the number of livestock causing polluting emissions or the changes in the oceans), the authors also collect positive figures that incite hope.
- Between 2018 and 2021, solar and wind energy has increased by 57%, although it is still 19 times lower than the consumption of fossil fuels.
- Between 2018 and 2021 there has been a sharp increase in fossil fuel divestment.
- Since 2019, there has also been a small decrease in energy consumption from fossil fuels, although the researchers note that it is likely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The article was published to align with the latest report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that will be released next week, warning about the future that awaits us to continue on the wrong path.
This article was published in Business Insider Spain by Andrea Núñez-Torrón Stock.