Climate change poses ‘existential threat’ to life on Earth, group of scientists warns

A new solemn appeal. Climate change is a “existential threat” for life on Earth, warned a group of eminent scientists on Tuesday, October 24, in a report analyzing extreme weather phenomena in 2023 and humanity’s lack of action. The study, published in the journal BioScience, examined 35 “vital signs” including CO2 pollution, per capita consumption of energy and meat, deforestation by fire or days of extreme heat. However, 20 of these indicators have reached a record level in 2023, concludes this international scientific coalition.

“The truth is, we are shocked by the ferocity of extreme weather events in 2023. We have entered uncharted territory that frightens us,” they write. With 2023 on track to become the hottest year on record, entire regions have suffered deadly heatwaves, storms, floods, sometimes one disaster after another.

On the ocean side, temperatures “are completely out of the ordinary” for months, without scientists yet being able to fully explain it, underlines Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). For these scientists, the observation is clear: “Life on planet Earth is under siege.”