Researchers found that 20 of 35 “planetary vital signs” are at record extremes, and they call for rapid action

Wildfires have smashed records this year in Canada, scorching more than 40 million acres in the country.

The Earth is venturing into “uncharted” climate territory, which is imperiling life on our planet, a new report has found. Due to human activity, the climate has shifted to create a “situation no one has ever witnessed firsthand,” per the paper.

“Humanity is failing, to put it bluntly,” Bill Ripple, an Oregon State University ecologist who led the research, tells Meghan Bartels of Scientific American. “Rather than cutting greenhouse gas emissions, we’re increasing them. So, we’re not doing well right now.”

In a new study published last week in BioScience, Ripple and his colleagues analyzed 35 of Earth’s “planetary vital signs” used to track the climate crisis and found that 20 are at record extremes, including carbon dioxide emissions, fossil fuel subsidies, ocean acidity and changes in glacier thickness. The vital signs include both human activities and the planet’s responses to them.

Among the study’s key findings were that fossil fuel subsidies roughly doubled between 2021 and 2022, going from $531 billion to just over $1 trillion. The authors attribute this partially to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led many nations to switch from Russian-supplied gas to coal. However, the conflict also prompted several European countries to use more renewables, which contributed to an overall 17 percent increase in solar and wind energy from 2021 to 2022.

The authors note that most carbon dioxide emissions came from wealthy countries—the top 10 percent of emitters were responsible for 48 percent of emissions, while the bottom 50 percent emitted about 12 percent of the total. Yet, lower-income countries that have contributed less to causing climate change tend to pay the price, often facing extreme climate impacts without the funds to address them.

“Natural scientists very often don’t include justice issues,” Joyeeta Gupta, a sustainability scientist at the University of Amsterdam who was not involved in the new research, tells Scientific American. “I think it’s really important that we bring this justice issue much more centrally to our narrative, because otherwise we won’t solve these problems; we’ll just keep telling people that there are problems.”

In 2023, an “extraordinary series” of climate records were broken, write the authors, including a total of 38 days with global average temperatures more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Since 2000, days that hot have been rare, and before the turn of the century, they were never recorded, per the paper.

This summer, the Earth hit its hottest day on record on July 3—only for that extreme to be broken again on July 4, 5 and 6. Twenty-one of the Earth’s hottest days ever were in July, and the month was overall the hottest ever documented. High temperatures have also contributed to the record-low levels of Antarctic ice and decreased ice mass in Greenland. Climate change-fueled wildfires in Canada this year released a massive amount of carbon dioxide—about a gigaton. For comparison, the country emitted a total of 0.67 gigatons of greenhouse gases in 2021.

“Life on our planet is clearly under siege,” Ripple says in a statement. “The statistical trends show deeply alarming patterns of climate-related variables and disasters. We also found little progress to report as far as humanity combating climate change.”

The new research updates a 2019 study also led by Ripple and his colleague Christopher Wolf that examined the planetary vital signs and warned of a climate emergency. That study was co-signed by more than 15,000 scientists in 161 countries.

Scientists have warned for years of the negative consequences of climate change and have recommended deep and rapid changes from governments across the globe to limit catastrophic consequences. While many countries have fallen short on pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, experts say it’s not too late for the planet—but we need to act immediately.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earth-is-entering-uncharted-territory-because-of-climate-change-new-report-says-180983163/

wanted enjoy and be part of the trajectory of your species as force of nature, and displaced was thought about the practicality of the extent it ought be wanted into being so

and here the we are, trapped by the want be force of nature

Fuck These Communists

> Wildfires have smashed records this year in Canada, scorching more than 40 million acres in the country.

Yes, that’s to be expected. Unprecedented forest growth is going to lead to extreme wildfires.

“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began, One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about, Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought, As it had done for years.

“It’s looking crook,” said Daniel Croke; “Bedad, it’s cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke Has seasons been so bad.”

“It’s dry, all right,” said young O’Neil, With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran “It’s keepin’ dry, no doubt.”
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “Before the year is out.”

“The crops are done; ye’ll have your work To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o’-Bourke They’re singin’ out for rain.

“They’re singin’ out for rain,” he said, “And all the tanks are dry.”
The congregation scratched its head, And gazed around the sky.

“There won’t be grass, in any case, Enough to feed an ass;
There’s not a blade on Casey’s place As I came down to Mass.”

“If rain don’t come this month,” said Dan, And cleared his throat to speak -
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “If rain don’t come this week.”

A heavy silence seemed to steal On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed a piece of bark.

“We want an inch of rain, we do,” O’Neil observed at last;
But Croke “maintained” we wanted two To put the danger past.

“If we don’t get three inches, man, Or four to break this drought,
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “Before the year is out.”

In God’s good time down came the rain; And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still, And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long, A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song Way out to Back-o’-Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran, And dams filled overtop;
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “If this rain doesn’t stop.”

And stop it did, in God’s good time; And spring came in to fold
A mantle o’er the hills sublime Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet, With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat Nid-nodding o’er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face, As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey’s place Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed his piece of bark.

“There’ll be bush-fires for sure, me man, There will, without a doubt;
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “Before the year is out.”

mollwollfumble said:

> Wildfires have smashed records this year in Canada, scorching more than 40 million acres in the country.

Yes, that’s to be expected. Unprecedented forest growth is going to lead to extreme wildfires.

“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began, One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about, Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought, As it had done for years.

“It’s looking crook,” said Daniel Croke; “Bedad, it’s cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke Has seasons been so bad.”

“It’s dry, all right,” said young O’Neil, With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel And chewed a piece of bark.

And so around the chorus ran “It’s keepin’ dry, no doubt.”
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “Before the year is out.”

“The crops are done; ye’ll have your work To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o’-Bourke They’re singin’ out for rain.

“They’re singin’ out for rain,” he said, “And all the tanks are dry.”
The congregation scratched its head, And gazed around the sky.

“There won’t be grass, in any case, Enough to feed an ass;
There’s not a blade on Casey’s place As I came down to Mass.”

“If rain don’t come this month,” said Dan, And cleared his throat to speak -
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “If rain don’t come this week.”

A heavy silence seemed to steal On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed a piece of bark.

“We want an inch of rain, we do,” O’Neil observed at last;
But Croke “maintained” we wanted two To put the danger past.

“If we don’t get three inches, man, Or four to break this drought,
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “Before the year is out.”

In God’s good time down came the rain; And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still, And lightsome, gladsome elves
On dripping spout and window-sill Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long, A-singing at its work,
Till every heart took up the song Way out to Back-o’-Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran, And dams filled overtop;
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “If this rain doesn’t stop.”

And stop it did, in God’s good time; And spring came in to fold
A mantle o’er the hills sublime Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet, With harvest-hopes immense,
And laughing eyes beheld the wheat Nid-nodding o’er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face, As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey’s place Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel Discoursed the men of mark,
And each man squatted on his heel, And chewed his piece of bark.

“There’ll be bush-fires for sure, me man, There will, without a doubt;
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan, “Before the year is out.”

Do you also post under the wookiemeister tag too?

Oh we’ll all be rooned all right.

Go team!

dv said:

Go team!

Let’s show Venus how it’s done.