For decades, we have neglected the environmental consequences of our actions. Now, we are on the brink of climate catastrophe, because those consequences have arrived. In the 2025 installment of the annual State of the Climate report, published on October 29, leading researchers in the field analyzed global environmental data, and found that “the planet’s vital signs are flashing red”: 22 of 34 indicators are at record levels. Additionally, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds this year, citing climate change as a significant factor. It’s the closest it’s ever been to midnight, which acts as a stark reminder of how perilous our world is. We are barrelling towards irreversible chaos, and the timeframe we have to act is rapidly diminishing.
Fossil fuel consumption is at an all-time high, with 40.8 gigatons of energy-related CO₂e emissions released last year. As a result, atmospheric concentrations of all greenhouse gases continue climbing to record levels. For example, the CO₂ concentration at the Mauna Loa Observatory surpassed 430 ppm, likely the highest in the past million years. Furthermore, 29.6 megahectares of tree cover were lost, a troubling 4.7% increase from the previous year. Additionally, the warmest ten years on record all occurred within the past decade, driving an unprecedented and rapid loss of ice cover. Notably, the average temperature in 2024 exceeded 1.5˚C of warming above pre-industrial levels, which gravely threatens the Paris Agreement’s goal of a decade-long average warming below 1.5˚C. Global ice mass is at a record low, with ice-loss rates now quadruple what they were in the 1990s and sea-level rise having doubled over the same period. Appallingly, West Antarctica is at risk of irreversible collapse due to ice-shelf melting deep below the surface. At the same time, 84% of the world’s coral reefs are bleached to some extent, likely driven by the highest ocean acidity on record. Adding to these pressures is ecological overshoot and consumerism. Finally, our unsustainably large population’s consumer habits are putting immense strain on both our resources and the environment. For example, meat consumption is at an all-time high, while roughly half of agricultural greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by livestock methane emissions.
In terms of daily life, it means that we will experience food shortages, higher prices in general, more extreme weather events, and higher average temperatures. Moreover, there will be biodiversity loss, rising sea levels, erosion, ocean acidification, and droughts. Coastal cities and towns will experience flooding and loss of land. For example, more than 90% of the country of Tuvalu is expected to be submerged by 2100. However, even though it will be difficult and almost insurmountable, it is still possible to avert this accelerating climate chaos. The severe consequences increase exponentially, so avoiding tiny fractions of a degree of warming is crucial to saving what’s left of our planet. Governments, businesses, and scientists need to unite and undertake innovative, swift, and coordinated action to prevent disastrous outcomes. They need to make meaningful changes to policies, to reduce environmental impact on a large scale. They need to innovate, to help conservation efforts. They need to educate people, to garner our collective support. Because without decisive action, there may be no livable planet left for future generations.
The Blue and White 