We Have Six More Years of ‘Normal Life’ on Planet Earth, Scientists Say.

The scientists studying climate change are no longer sounding the alarm. They explain that our time is up and inform us that our lives will change for the worse in just 6 years.

If only this were another issue related to the climate crisis.

Unfortunately, it is the desperate cry of tens of thousands of climate scientists who see that the time to avoid the worst of planetary warming has run out.

They inform us that we have already entered an ‘unknown territory’ where life on the planet is under siege. Not sometime in the future, but here and now.

Politicians have driven scientists to despair.
In 2019, Dr. William J. Ripple, a professor of ecology at Oregon State University in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, published a paper titled “World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency.”

He asked anyone who wanted, to sign it.

Today, this document has more than 15,000 signatures.

That is, more than 15,000 qualified experts warn humanity that if immediate drastic changes are not made, especially regarding carbon dioxide emissions, we will have to forget life as we know it.

Not in 100 years, but much sooner: before the decade is out.

As emphasized in a Washington Post article, “After several years of record temperatures and extreme weather events, Ripple’s experience is a sign of how climate scientists, who once avoided entering public debate, now use harsh language to describe the warming planet.”

Specifically, the term “climate emergency” was mentioned in only 32 studies published since 2015. In 2022, it appeared in 862 works.

At the same time, those making decisions do not seem particularly moved.

The researchers explained that they no longer fear using terms like ’emergency’ or ‘climate and ecological crisis’, because “the simple ‘urgent’ is not enough for a politician” – as recent history has shown.

In this ‘climate’ on Monday, 30/10, scientists published a document showing that the global “carbon budget” (the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that the world can still emit without raising global temperatures by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels) has shrunk by one third.

How the Limit of +1.5 Degrees Celsius in Temperature Emerged

The need to stabilize the rise in global temperature below this specific threshold was established as a fundamental requirement to avoid catastrophic and potentially irreversible changes, as the consequences of climate change, in the Paris Agreement on Climate in 2016.

The countries that signed it committed to taking the necessary measures.

At the top of the priorities was the reduction of emissions as soon as possible.

Seven years later, no substantial progress has been made in this direction.

How Our Lives Will Change in 6 Years

Give me a little time to explain to you how life will be at the latest in six years, provided we don’t do something – which we haven’t done for 25 years.

What follows belongs to scientists who study models and believe that +1.5 degrees Celsius is a crucial turning point, beyond which the likelihood of extreme floods, droughts, fires, and food shortages could dramatically increase.

Here’s what awaits us from the planetary warming, which if you want it in more understandable terms, is like the heatstroke one experiences when staying in a car with closed windows, under the sun, in the summer.

• Extreme weather events (such as droughts, storms, wildfires, and heat waves) will be the “new normal,” as their frequency and intensity are expected to increase (most likely resulting in destructive economic and social consequences).
• We will experience more intense heat waves. This can lead to a greater risk of heat-related illnesses and deaths, especially among vulnerable populations. Scientists have explained that when both humidity and temperature rise simultaneously, our bodies are unable to sweat and regulate their temperature. This poses a general threat to our lives.
• There will be more deaths from cardiovascular problems, as revealed by a study published on 30/10. This will affect older individuals (65 years and older) and African Americans more significantly.
• Sea levels will rise (the increase in temperature leads to the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers. Exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius could accelerate this process, leading to more coastal floods and displacement of people from low-lying areas).
• Storms will be more intense (warmer oceans can fuel stronger hurricanes and typhoons, resulting in increased storm intensity and damage).
• The ecosystem will be disrupted (ecosystems like coral reefs and polar regions are particularly sensitive to temperature changes. Warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius can lead to irreversible damage, causing loss of biodiversity and affecting the livelihoods of communities dependent on them).
• There will be further agricultural impacts (agriculture is a prime example of those affected. Higher temperatures and changing weather conditions can disrupt agricultural systems, leading to reduced crop yields and food shortages. This can contribute to food insecurity and higher food prices).
• We will not have enough water for everyone (changes in precipitation patterns and increased evaporation can lead to drought in many areas. This can affect drinking water supplies, agriculture, and industry).
  The oceans will become more acidic (increased levels of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere lead to the absorption of more carbon dioxide by the oceans, causing acidification. This can harm marine life and disrupt the oceanic food chain).

It should also be noted that the economic cost associated with adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change will increase significantly as global temperatures rise beyond 1.5 degrees. This could lead to a substantial reduction in global GDP.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that there may be global migration, which has the potential to lead to conflicts and displacement of people.

«The life on the planet is under siege.»

The most recent climate study, signed by Ripple, was published on 24/10 and stated that the planet has entered an ‘uncharted territory’ in terms of the impacts of the climate crisis.

The data indicates that we are six years away from surpassing the 1.5 degree Celsius limit in global warming, based on the current rate of carbon dioxide emissions.

This year, we experienced the hottest month in recorded history, with the UN stating that “the era of global boiling has begun.” It may sound extreme, but as you read earlier, politicians do not seem moved otherwise.

The summary of the latest research findings states, “Life on planet Earth is under siege. We are now in uncharted territory.

For several decades, scientists have consistently warned of a future characterized by extreme climate conditions, due to the escalation of global temperatures caused by ongoing human activities releasing harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

«Unfortunately, time has run out.»

We witness the manifestation of these predictions, as an alarming and unprecedented succession of climate records are shattered, leading to the unfolding of deeply painful scenes of anguish.

We are entering an unknown territory regarding our climate crisis, a situation no one has ever experienced firsthand in the history of humanity.”

Tim Lenton, one of the authors of the recent work by Ripple and a professor of Earth system science at the University of Exeter, stated that “2023 was filled with temperatures so far beyond the norm that it is very difficult to rationalize. This does not fit into a simple statistical model.”

Joeri Rogelj, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, added that “there are no technically available scenarios worldwide in the scientific literature that support that this is actually possible or even describe how it would be possible.”