The 2024 State of the Climate Report makes for some damning reading. Along with highlighting how our planet has been pushed to the brink of disaster due to reckless human activity, the report highlights the many ways in which the world is already starting to feel the burn of climate change.
In the annual report published today, an international coalition of scientists provides an update on how Earth is faring against climate change, measuring dozens of categories called “planetary vital signs”. The report states that at least 25 of these 35 vital signs have already reached record extremes.
“We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster. This is a global emergency beyond any doubt. Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled,” the study authors write in their introduction.
For one, Earth’s average surface temperature is at a record high. Three of the hottest days on record came in July 2024, peaking with the hottest on July 22 when the planet had an average temperature of 17.15°C (62.87°F), breaking the record set the previous day.
Following a record-breaking summer, this year is well on track to be the hottest on record, set to swipe the title from the previous record-smasher: 2023.
The mounting heat is already having a negative effect on the planet, not least through the thawing of ice sheets, glaciers, and permafrost. In turn, the changes are impacting biodiversity, as well as human health and wellbeing.
“Since the publication of our 2023 report, multiple climate-related disasters have taken place, including a series of heat waves across Asia that killed more than a thousand people and led to temperatures reaching 122 degrees Fahrenheit [50°C] in parts of India,” William Ripple, a professor of ecology at Oregon State University (OSU) and director of the new report, said in a statement.
“Climate change has already displaced millions of people, with the potential to displace hundreds of millions or even billions. That would likely lead to greater geopolitical instability, possibly even partial societal collapse,” Ripple added.
Baking hot surface temperatures are just one aspect of the problem, though. Unprecedented ocean heating is also occurring, as well as waters becoming more acidic due to the increased absorption of carbon dioxide.
All of these effects can be directly linked to greenhouse gas emissions, the vast majority of which are the product of burning fossil fuels.
Despite recent efforts to curb emissions, the annual consumption of fossil fuels climbed by 1.5 percent in 2023, bolstered by increases in the use of coal (1.6 percent) and oil (2.5 percent). Renewable energy increased too, although it still only accounts for around 1/14 of fossil fuel use.
“The growth rate of methane emissions has been accelerating, which is extremely troubling. Nitrous oxide, which is potent and long-lived, is also at a record high,” explained former OSU postdoctoral researcher Christopher Wolf.
First and foremost, the world needs to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers argue. They also suggest some vaguely more practical solutions, such as introducing a global carbon pricing mechanism to curb emissions from wealthier sectors, while generating funds that can be reinvested in further climate initiatives, plus improving energy efficiency and conservation efforts to support the transition away from fossil fuels.
The world’s population could also play a part, the report says, by eating more plant-based foods and receiving better education about the risk of climate change.
“Despite six reports from the International Panel on Climate Change, hundreds of other reports, tens of thousands of scientific papers, and 28 annual meetings of the UN’s Conference of the Parties, the world has made very little headway on climate change,” Wolf said.
“Humanity’s future depends on creativity, moral fiber and perseverance. If future generations are to inherit the world they deserve, decisive action is needed, and fast.”
The report is published in the journal BioScience.
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