2024 state of the climate

The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earth was released on 8th October and makes for sobering reading. Read the full report at the journal here.

Key Points

  • Climate change is an existential threat, with human activities causing unprecedented planetary change.
  • We are witnessing record-breaking temperatures, extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and melting ice.
  • Fossil fuel emissions are at an all-time high, despite warnings from scientists for decades.
  • The current trajectory suggests we will surpass critical climate tipping points, leading to irreversible damage.
  • The consequences of climate change are already being felt worldwide, with increased heat-related deaths, floods, droughts, and wildfires.
  • Climate change disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations in the Global South.
  • Urgent action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate.
Figure 1. from Ripple et al.
Unusual climate anomalies in 2023 and 2024. Ocean temperatures (a, b) are presently far outside their historical ranges. These anomalies reflect the combined effect of long-term climate change and short-term variability. Sources and additional details about each variable are provided in supplemental file S1. Each line corresponds to a different year, with darker gray representing later years. All of the variables shown are daily estimates.

Most Notable Insights:

  • The scientific consensus is clear: human activity is causing dangerous climate change with potentially catastrophic consequences.
  • We have passed the point of avoiding some impacts, but immediate action can still limit the damage.
  • Climate change is a social justice issue, as wealthier nations contribute more to the problem but are less vulnerable to its effects.

Reference

  1. William J Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Jillian W Gregg, Johan Rockström, Michael E Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Timothy M Lenton, Stefan Rahmstorf, Thomas M Newsome, Chi Xu, Jens-Christian Svenning, Cássio Cardoso Pereira, Beverly E Law, Thomas W Crowther, The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earth, BioScience, 2024;, biae087, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae087

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