GLOBAL WARNING
Humanity must have fewer children or face ‘untold suffering’ due to ‘climate emergency’, scientists claim
A GLOBAL "climate emergency" has been declared by an enormous group of 11,000 scientists.
The researchers, from 153 countries, warned that we face "untold human suffering" if more isn't done to slow down climate change, such as having fewer children.
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The study, based on 40 years of data on a range of measures, argues that governments aren't doing enough to avert the crisis.
Previous research has warned that rising sea levels threaten to flood the homes of 480million people by 2100.
The rise could lead to a total loss of land of 700,000 square miles, an area seven times the size of the UK.
Scientists behind the new study said they have a moral obligation to "clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat" and "tell it like it is".
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They said deep and lasting shifts in human activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions are required to avoid human suffering, such as eating less meat and having fewer children.
"Despite 40 years of major global negotiations, we have continued to conduct business as usual and have failed to address this crisis," said Dr Warren Ripple, of Oregon State University.
"Climate change has arrived and is accelerating faster than many scientists expected."
The warning laid out in the study was endorsed by Dr Wipple alongside thousands of other scientists.
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They state "clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency".
For their research, experts looked at several measures for climate change stretching back to 1979.
Measures included fossil fuel consumption, growth of humans and animal populations, meat production and global tree cover loss.
Some improved over the time period, for example, green energy usage has jumped over the past four decades.
However, taken together, most of the measures are on a worrying downward trend.
"An emergency means that if we do not act or respond to the impacts of climate change by reducing our carbon emissions, reducing our livestock production, reducing our land clearing and fossil fuel consumption, the impacts will likely be more severe than we've experienced to date," said lead author Dr Thomas Newsome, from the University of Sydney.
"That could mean there are areas on Earth that are not inhabitable by people."
Rising sea levels – what's the problem?
Here's what you need to know...
- The global sea level has been gradually rising over the past century
- Sea levels rise due to two main reasons
- The first is thermal expansion – as water gets warmer, it expands
- The second is melting ice on land, adding fresh water into seas
- This has a cyclical effect, because melting ice also warms up the planet (and oceans), causing more even ice to melt and boosting thermal expansion
- It's currently rising at a rate of around 0.3cm per year
- The sea is huge, so that might sound harmless
- But rising sea levels can have a devastating effect over time
- Low-lying coastal areas can disappear completely, even putting areas of the UK at risk
- It can also mean sea storms and tsunamis can have a more devastating effect, reaching further in-land than they would have previously
- There's also an increased risk of flooding
Researchers put forward several routes through which humanity can save itself.
They included a shift away from meat-heavy diets, a greater emphasis on green energy, and a commitment to stop clearing rain forests.
One of the best things humanity can do, they said, is have fewer children.
"If an individual is concerned about climate change, three things to consider include: One, reducing the use of fossil fuels; two, eating mostly a plant-based diet; and three, having fewer children," Dr Ripple told .
Experts have previously claimed that overpopulation is one of the biggest contributors to global climate change.
In a 2017 study, scientists suggested that having just one less child is the most effective way a person can cut their carbon footprint.
The research was published in the journal .
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In other news, scientists recently warned that waves are getting stronger, and say we've "underestimated" the risks of climate change.
Parts of Europe could disappear as Nasa warns Antarctica is melting 6 times faster than it was 40 years ago.
And, experts think climate change could cause areas of the ocean to turn a "deep green" colour by 2100.
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