In the paper ‘The 2023 State of the Climate report: Entering uncharted territory‘ published in Bioscience (major update to a 2019 bulletin, since co-signed by more than 15,000 scientists from 163 countries, that called on governments to make serious and rapid changes to current, high-emitting economic systems or face “untold suffering” worldwide), a global team of 12 climate scientists have shown that 20 of 35 identified planetary vital signs are at record extremes and have worsened beyond anything humans have seen, to the point that life on Earth is imperilled.

They also outline policies needed to address the underlying issue of “ecological overshoot”. The authors share data illustrating how many climate records were broken by enormous margins in 2023, particularly those relating to ocean temperature and sea ice. The authors say policies are needed that take aim at the underlying issue of “ecological overshoot”. When human demand on the Earth’s resources is too large, the result is an array of environmental crises, including biodiversity decline. If humanity continues to put extreme pressure on the planet, any strategy that focuses only on carbon or climate will simply redistribute the pressure, they said. The authors urge transitioning to a global economy that prioritises human well-being and curtails overconsumption and excessive emissions by the rich. Specific recommendations include phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, transitioning toward plant-based diets, scaling up forest protection efforts and adopting international coal elimination and fossil fuel non-proliferation treaties.

Links:
‘Uncharted territory’: climate scientists sound alarm over Earth’s vital signs

2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28

‘We Are Afraid’: Scientists Issue New Warning As World Enters ‘Uncharted Climate Territory’

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