The Earth is heading towards a "point of no return" due to global warming, scientists warn
An international team of researchers warns that Earth's climate is leaving the stable conditions that enabled human civilization to develop, marking a significant risk of entering a "greenhouse Earth" trajectory.
An international study published in the journal One Earth warns that the global climate is departing from the stable conditions of the Holocene, a period that allowed human civilization to flourish for thousands of years. Researchers indicate that the planet is at risk of entering a "greenhouse Earth" trajectory, where autonomous natural processes might exacerbate global warming beyond a point that could be considered irreversible. This change could have profound implications for the planet and humanity, potentially leading to severe and widespread climate repercussions.
The study highlights that contemporary global temperatures match or exceed those recorded over the last 125,000 years, underscoring the severity of climate change events currently being experienced worldwide. Importantly, carbon dioxide levels have surged to their highest in at least two million years, indicating a significant deviation from historical climate patterns. The transition away from the Holocene's stable climate conditions represents a critical moment for global ecological stability, which has supported agriculture and complex societies throughout history.
With the research indicating that humanity is exceeding thresholds established during the Holocene, the implications of these findings urge immediate action, emphasizing the need for policies that mitigate climate change. Scientists are calling for global collaboration to address these challenges, warning that failure to act could result in irreversible damage to the climate system and questioning the sustainability of future human societies on Earth as we know it.