As per an updated report endorsed by close to 14,000 scientists, the planet's ecological vital signs are in dire shape. Climate policies could possibly change everything, action needs to be taken fast.
Future of Life on Earth
Even prior to the release of the paper, it was certain that it would present a worrying outlook for life's future on Earth.
And now, the initial sentence of the study, that was released Wednesday in the journal BioScience, highlighted that the panel of researchers announced a climate change emergency that would led to an "untold suffering" back in 2019.
And the remaining part of the paper gives an explanation of how almost every single measurement - kept for a few special cases like increased solar energy adoption - is presently more unfavorable than before.
The paper reads: "The updated planetary vital signs we present reflect the consequences of unrelenting business as usual. A major lesson from COVID-19 is that even colossally decreased transportation and consumption are not nearly enough and that, instead, transformational system changes are required, and they must rise above politics."
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Three Crucial Steps Taken to Accomplish This Task
Live Science notes that the scientists responsible for the updated report plan to reexplore the vitals of the planet again in another few years. If improvement is to be achieved and possibly alleviate some of that suffering when it comes, the scientists suggest taking three crucial steps.
Firstly, they say there is a need for humans to stop using and prohibit fossil fuels. Then humans need to force a "significant" price on carbon so as to discourage emissions, and lastly, humans need to safeguard and reinstate the different wetlands, forests, and other natural carbon sinks in the planet so as to get things back on track.
The paper reads: "Implementing these three policies soon will help ensure the long-term sustainability of human civilization and give future generations the opportunity to thrive. The speed of change is essential, and new climate policies should be part of COVID-19 recovery plans."
Earth's Vitals
Unshockingly, the new paper's authors discovered that Earth's vitals have only worsened over the last two years, with 18 of the 31 categories of the report revealing new all-time record highs or lows, the authors wrote.
The report discovered that greenhouse gas emissions attained an all-time high, while the thickness of glacial ice is at its least point in about 71 years of record-keeping.
This is the first time the world is as rich as this - measured by global GDP, while the atmosphere is more polluted than it has ever been - measured by methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide concentrations in the atmosphere.
The researchers are making plans to release another planetary "check-in" in years to come. Optimistically, that potential report will reveal more signs of good change as more nations take the extremity of climate change seriously. Or, maybe it will reflect the collapse of evironment. Time together with political action will tell.
Related Article: Only 3% of the World's Ecosystems Still in Pristine Conditions
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