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"Unfortunately, time is up": 15,000 scientists say civilizational collapse may occur by 2100
Rapid changes in the Earth's environment could eventually lead to a global catastrophe of epic proportions. Such a scenario, which would lead to the collapse of society, could be realized by the end of this century.
This is stated in an article published in BioScience and signed by more than 15,000 scientists from 161 countries. The researchers declare that "life on planet Earth is under siege" as humanity is rapidly approaching ecological collapse.
"For several decades, scientists have been constantly warning of a future marked by extreme climate conditions due to rising global temperatures caused by the constant human activity that emits harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere," the article says.
Now, the scientists note, "time is running out."
Christopher Wolf, one of the study's lead authors and a doctoral student at the University of Oregon (USO), warns that there is hope for salvation only if radical measures are taken.
According to him, it is necessary to solve the fundamental problem of humanity, which "takes more from the Earth than it can safely give back." If we do not take action, we will witness a "potential collapse of natural and socio-economic systems," followed by a new world with "unbearable heat and shortages of food and fresh water."
In their work, the scientists noted that in 2023, numerous climate records were broken by a "huge margin." They also noted the extremely active wildfire season in Canada in 2023, which, in their opinion, "may indicate a turning point in the new fire regime."
William Ripple, a professor of forestry at USC, also said that 2023 brought "deeply disturbing patterns" and that humanity has taken almost no action to remedy the situation.
"We also found no significant progress in humanity's fight against climate change," Futurism quoted him as saying.
Scientists have pointed out that the main cause of climate change is the fossil fuel industry, but its activities are also facilitated by government officials who subsidize it. According to the document, between 2021 and 2022, fossil fuel subsidies in the United States alone actually doubled from $531 billion to just over $1 trillion.
Scientists are calling for the climate emergency to be perceived as a "systemic, existential threat." First and foremost, they call for the abandonment of fossil fuels, as well as the fight against "excessive consumption by the rich." This could be a step towards avoiding further catastrophe by the end of the 21st century.
Earlier, OBOZ.UA spoke about the alarming UN report, which warned that the world has reached the point of no return to be followed by catastrophes.
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