Planetary ‘vital signs’ reaching record extremes: 2024 State of the Climate Report

The Earth’s worsening “vital signs” indicate a climate crisis that is leaping forward at a dangerous pace and unprecedented magnitude, scientists are warning in a new report.

Of the 35 such signs that researchers track each year, 25 have reached record extremes, according to the annual report, published on Tuesday in BioScience.

“A large portion of the very fabric of life on our planet is imperiled,” lead author William Ripple, a forestry professor at Oregon State University, said in a statement.

Among the vital signs assessed in the report are measurements related to human population, fertility rate, livestock, food production, global GDP, tree cover, energy consumption, carbon emissions, fossil fuel subsidies, government-declared climate emergencies and heat-related mortality.

In the United States alone, an estimated 2,325 people succumbed to heat-related deaths in 2023 — a 117 percent increase in comparison to such cases in 1999, per the report.

Evaluating these and other signs, the scientists found numerous causes for concern. They saw that the three hottest days on record occurred in July 2024, while fossil fuel emissions and both human and ruminant livestock populations had reached an all-time high.

Humans were increasing at a rate of about 200,000 individuals per day, and ruminant livestock — hoofed mammals — were surging by about 170,00 daily.

Global consumption of fossil fuels rose by 1.5 percent in 2023 — a jump that the authors attributed to a 1.6 percent surge in coal and 2.5 percent increase in oil use.

Although solar and wind energy together climbed by 15 percent in comparison to the prior year, their collective use amounted to just one-fourteenth of fossil fuel consumption, per the report. The authors attributed that boost in renewable energy to an increase in demand, rather than a transition away from fossil fuels.

Another troubling find cited by the researchers was their observation that annual tree cover loss went from 22.8 million hectares (56.3 million acres) in 2022 to 28.3 million hectares (69.9 million acres) in 2023.

“We’re already in the midst of abrupt climate upheaval, which jeopardizes the life on Earth like nothing humans have ever seen,” Ripple said. “Ecological overshoot, taking more than the Earth can safely give, has pushed the planet into climatic conditions more threatening than anything witnessed even by our prehistoric relatives.”

Annual energy-related emissions surpassed 40 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent for the first time on record, while releases of potent and polluting methane and nitrous oxide also surged, per the report.

The scientists also found that Earth’s average surface temperature had broken records, as had ocean acidity and heat content and average global sea level. They also flagged the accelerating decline of ice sheets and glaciers, as well as the rising frequency of billion-dollar climate-related disasters.

“Since the publication of our 2023 report, multiple climate-related disasters have taken place,” Ripple said, pointing to a series of deadly, extreme heat events that have struck Asia.

“Climate change has already displaced millions of people, with the potential to displace hundreds of millions or even billions,” he continued. “That would likely lead to greater geopolitical instability, possibly even partial societal collapse.”

Co-author and postdoctoral researcher Christopher Wolf criticized global nations for failing to make substantial headway on the fight against climate change, despite numerous international reports, tens of thousands of papers and more than two dozen United Nations meetings on the issue.

As such, the scientists called for the rapid adoption of policies that reduce emissions generated by the wealthy, enhance energy efficiency and conservation, protect biodiverse ecosystems, encourage plant-based eating habits, reduce overconsumption and integrate climate change education into global curricula.

“Humanity’s future depends on creativity, moral fiber and perseverance,” Wolf said in a statement.

“If future generations are to inherit the world they deserve, decisive action is needed, and fast,” he added.