Earth’s ‘vital signs’ are at their worst levels in human history: A bleak snapshot in six charts

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The Earth’s “vital signs” are at record extremes and endangering life on the planet, according to new research from a global team of climate scientists.
The paper, , found that 20 of the 35 planetary vital signs the researchers use to monitor potential drivers of climate change are at the highest levels recorded in human history.
They include things such as , ocean temperatures, fossil fuel subsidies, human population, and meat production.
Before 2000, global daily mean temperatures had never exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial levels — the lower end of the international global warming target set out in
But in the first nine months of 2023, there were 38 days that exceeded that threshold — — with the potential for that number to increase during the southern hemisphere’s summer.
A graph showing how average temperatures have deviated from the mean over the years

The northern hemisphere’s 2023 summer was, by a significant margin, the warmest on record globally.

In July, the Earth’s highest average surface temperature ever documented was recorded, with scientists believing it could be the hottest seen in the last 100,000 years.

A chart showing the world's hottest day, and how it compared to other days in that year and the multi-decade mean.

Global ocean surface temperatures and sea levels also reached record highs in the last 12 months.

A chart showing the rise in global ocean surface temperatures

Wildfires in Canada this year burned 16.6 million hectares and released more than a gigaton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — greater than the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions for 2021.

A line graph showing the amount of land burned by wildfires in Canada. It is steadily increasing.

Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas are the largest contributors to climate change, with emissions recently reaching an historic high in 2021.

A line graph showing fossil fuel emissions steadily increasing

Despite this, global almost doubled between 2021 and 2022 — from $US531 billion ($835 billion) to just over $US1 trillion ($1.57 trillion), according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

A graph showing fossil fuel subsidies between 2010 and 2022, as calculated by the International Energy Agency. There is a significant spike upwards beginning in 2020.

William Ripple, one of the paper’s co-authors and a distinguished professor at Oregon State University in the United States, said the data showed life on Earth was “clearly under siege”.

“The statistical trends show deeply alarming patterns of climate-related variables and disasters,” he said.
“We also found as far as humanity combating climate change.”
The planet is venturing into “uncharted climate territory”, increasing the likelihood of natural disasters becoming more frequent, the scientists warned.

“Without actions that address the root problem of humanity taking more from the Earth than it can safely give, we’re on our way to the potential partial collapse of natural and socioeconomic systems and a world with unbearable heat and shortages of food and fresh water,” Ripple said.

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