More than 14,000 scientists have joined forces to raise awareness regarding the urgent need for change in order to save the planet.
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State of emergency
In the research conducted, atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide levels are said to be higher than ever before. Coupled with disappearing arctic ice glaciers, the increasing rates of deforestation in the Amazon as well as rising sea levels and oceanic temperatures, scientists are now fearing the worst for our planet. William Ripple, ecologist at Oregon State University explained that:
We need to stop treating the climate emergency as a stand-alone issue - global heating is not the sole symptom of our stressed Earth system.
And added:
Policies to combat the climate crisis or any other symptoms should address their root cause: human overexploitation of the planet.
Unprecedented surge in climate disasters
Further backing up the findings of previous studies, scientists confirm that in light of the deteriorating health of the planet, worldwide climate disasters are becoming less and less uncommon.
This includes the floods South America and Southeast Asia, record heatwaves in Australia and North America as well as deadly cyclones in Africa and South Asia. The authors of study wrote:
The climate crisis has arrived and is accelerating faster than most scientists expected. It is more severe than anticipated, threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity.
Before adding:
We declare clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency. To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live. [This] entails major transformations in the ways our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems.
