Earth's 'vital signs' show humanity's future in balance, say top scientists

Many of Earth's "vital signs" have hit record extremes, indicating "the future of humanity hangs in the balance", a group of the world's most senior climate experts have said.

- Damian Carrington

More and more scientists were looking into the possibility of societal collapse, said the report, which assessed 35 vital signs in 2023 and found that 25 were worse than ever recorded, including carbon dioxide levels and human population.

This indicated a “critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis”, it said.

The temperature of Earth's surface and oceans hit an all-time high, driven by record burning of fossil fuels, the report found. Human population is increasing by approximately 200,000 people a day, and cattle and sheep by 170,000 a day, all adding to record greenhouse gas emissions.

The scientists identified 28 factors and their consequences, including increasing emissions from melting permafrost, which could help cause multiple tipping points, such as the collapse of the Greenland icecap.

Global heating was driving increasingly deadly extreme weather across the world, they said, including hurricanes in the US and 50C heatwaves in India, exposing billions of people to extreme heat.

The scientists said their goal was "to provide clear, evidence-based insights that inspire informed and bold responses from citizens to researchers and world leaders - we just want to act truthfully and tell it like it is".