A dire warning was sounded by 15,000 scientists hailing from 163 countries in their latest “state of the climate” report. In the report, the experts cautioned that human-driven climate change is pushing our planet into “uncharted territory,” emphasizing that the world is facing unprecedented challenges, and the situation is becoming increasingly perilous.

Published on Tuesday in the journal BioScience, the report is part of an ongoing series known as “World Scientists Warning of a Climate Emergency.” Scientists have closely monitored the escalating threats posed by rising global temperatures to both humanity and the world’s ecosystems since 2019.

The 2023 report, led by Professor William Ripple of Oregon State University, highlights the devastating impact of extreme wildfires, floods, heatwaves, and other natural disasters that have intensified due to climate change. According to the researchers, the average global surface temperature in July 2023 may have reached levels not seen in the past 100,000 years, signaling a dangerous destabilization of our planetary systems.

The report delves into 35 of Earth’s “vital signs,” including metrics such as global tree cover, greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean temperatures, and human and livestock populations. It raises alarm by indicating that 20 of these vital signs have reached record extremes, a notable increase from the 16 recorded in 2022.

The authors emphasized the current suffering caused by record-breaking climate extremes and raised alarms about the possibility of widespread societal and ecological collapse in the future, while also decrying recent increases in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, which is the primary driver of climate change.

Scientific analysis backs up the claim. Kaitlin Naughten, a researcher at the British Antarctic Survey, published his analysis results in the international journal Nature Climate Change that suggests the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is no longer able to prevent itself from melting. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is a large ice shelf that prevents Antarctic glaciers from melting and sliding into the ocean and has the largest impact on sea level rise. If it were to melt completely, it could raise global average sea levels by as much as 5 meters.

By Ko Jae-won and Minu Kim

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]