Twenty-five years ago, a group of scientists 1,700 strong came to an unsettling conclusion: if mankind did little to curb global warming, the decimation of fisheries, ozone layer depletion, and the unchecked exploitation of water resources, changes in our environment would “so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know.”
On the report’s silver anniversary, more than 15,000 scientists are back with a follow-up, and its findings aren’t good.
“Humanity has failed to make sufficient progress in generally solving these foreseen environmental challenges, and alarmingly, most of them are getting far worse,” they write.
Scientists from 184 countries contributed to the letter. It is meant to serve as a “second notice” to humanity about the harm being done to the planet. Without drastic measures to address rising carbon dioxide levels, deforestation, ocean acidification, and other troubling challenges, the impact could be catastrophic.
“If not checked,” wrote the scientists, led by particle physicist and Union of Concerned Scientists co-founder Henry Kendall, “many of our current practices put at serious risk the future that we wish for human society and the plant and animal kingdoms, and may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know.”
The scientists point to the ozone layer as a positive example of what can be done if nations move to act together. Chlorofluorocarbons were banned from use in refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol cans under the Montreal Protocol in 1987. Commonly known as Freon, the gas breaks down ozone in the atmosphere.
“The rapid global decline in ozone depleting substances shows that we can make positive change when we act decisively,” the letter says.
The authors penned 13 suggestions on what can be done to reduce the risks the planet faces, including the development of renewable energy and other green technologies, and establishing nature preserves, among other actions.
Oregon State University ecologist William Ripple has joined other scientists in creating a new organization called the Alliance of World Scientists, in hopes of further educating the public on what needs to be done and the urgency with which countries need to move. Ripple led efforts to pull the new letter together.
“Scientists are in the business of analyzing data and looking at the long-term consequences,” Ripple said in a release. “Those who signed this second warning aren't just raising a false alarm. They are acknowledging the obvious signs that we are heading down an unsustainable path. We are hoping that our paper will ignite a widespread public debate about the global environment and climate.”
Let’s hope so.