Earth’s Condition Is ‘Serious and Getting Worse’ as Climate Change Intensifies
A new study published in BioScience warns that Earth's vital signs are reaching record extremes due to climate change. Researchers highlight that rising carbon dioxide levels and ocean heat are accelerating global warming, with El Niño expected to exacerbate these impacts.
Why it matters
The findings underscore the urgency of climate mitigation as ecosystems like coral reefs face potential collapse from sustained temperature increases.
“If Earth were a patient coming in for an annual physical, I would say its condition is serious and getting worse,” Oregon State University researcher Bill Ripple says.
Ripple is the lead author of a new paper chronicling the state of the climate, published on Wednesday in BioScience. The findings show that seven of the 16 planetary vital signs tracked by the researchers have never been in a more extreme state.
That includes the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is 50 percent higher than preindustrial levels due to burning fossil fuels, as well as symptoms of burning all that oil, coal, and gas. Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have shrunk to record lows, while ocean heat has soared to record highs.
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