11,000 scientists worldwide warn of ‘untold suffering due to climate crisis’

A statement endorsed by 11,000 scientists and published Tuesday on the 40th anniversary of the first world climate conference, warned that unless major policy changes are made, there will be “untold suffering due to the climate crisis.”

The statement published in the journal BioScience, was written as a collaboration between dozens of scientists, and signed by thousands of others. The signatories included over 50 Israeli scientists.

“We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency,” the statement reads.

“To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live, in ways that improve the vital signs summarized by our graphs. Economic and population growth are among the most important drivers of increases in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion; therefore, we need bold and drastic transformations regarding economic and population policies.”

Plumes of smoke rise from Europe’s largest lignite power plant in Belchatow, central Poland, November 28, 2018. Fossil fuels are now heating the earth faster than scientists had expected even a few years ago. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The letter calls for fossil fuels to be replaced with low-carbon renewables and that there must be a reduction in the emissions of short-lived climate pollutants.

In addition, the Earth’s ecosystems must be protected and restored, and people should be encouraged to eat plant-based foods rather than animal products, the scientists said.

Finally, the scientists declare that excessive extraction of materials must be curtailed and policies enacted to stabilize population growth, notably by making family-planning services available to all and ensuring primary and secondary education is the global norm, especially for girls and young women.

The warning came a day after the United States formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, making the world’s largest economy the sole outlier from the agreement.

US President Donald Trump went ahead with the pullout despite mounting evidence of the reality and impact of climate change, with September the fourth month in the row with near- or record-breaking temperatures.

The US presented its withdrawal letter to the United Nations on the first possible date under the accord negotiated by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.

A firefighter prepares to fight a wildfire as it overtakes a home October 24, 2019, in Santa Clarita, California (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

It will be officially out of the Paris accord on November 4, 2020, one day after the US election in which Trump is seeking a second term.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who unsuccessfully tried to persuade Trump to stay in the accord named for his nation’s capital, lamented the decision.

“We regret this and it makes the Franco-Chinese partnership on climate and biodiversity even more necessary,” the French presidency said as Macron visited China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases blamed for climate change.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his statement pointed to a 13 percent US reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 to 2017 even as the economy grew.

But Trump, who took office in 2017, has pledged to turn back environmental regulations as states such as California and New York try to take stronger action on their own. Trump has sought to block California from setting tighter standards on car emissions and moved to let states set their own standards on existing coal-fired power plants.

Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the Trump administration has “once again thumbed its nose at our allies, turned a blind eye to the facts and further politicized the world’s greatest environmental challenge.”

Former vice president turned climate champion Al Gore deplored Trump’s decision — but said that a new president could re-enter the Paris accord within 30 days.

People cool down in the fountains of the Trocadero gardens in Paris, July 25, 2019, when a new all-time high temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 F) hit the French capital. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh)

“No one person or party can stop our momentum to solve the climate crisis, but those who try will be remembered for their complacency, complicity and mendacity in attempting to sacrifice the planet for their greed,” Gore said.

The Paris accord set a goal of limiting temperature rises to well within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels, a goal that scientists say is vital to check the worst damage from global warming such as increasing droughts, rising floods and intensifying storms.

Mindful of the politics at home, Obama insisted that the goals be loosely enforced, with each of the 197 signatories — from the United States to North Korea to tiny islands — choosing its own actions and informing the United Nations.

Contrary to some predictions, Trump’s decision did not trigger a domino effect of withdrawals by countries such as Brazil and Australia.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an ideological ally of Trump, has belittled environmentalists but has held off on threats to withdraw from the Paris accord, with the European Union requiring adherence as a condition for a major trade deal.

Trump has cast the climate accord as elitist, saying when announcing his decision that he was “elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”

But a Washington Post poll last month found that even in his own party he faces growing opposition on the issue, with 60% of Republicans agreeing with the scientific consensus that human activity is causing climate change.

Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has used his fortune to push for action on climate change, vowed to put the issue front and center in next year’s election.

“Until then, we will continue to fight the climate crisis with the urgency required, city by city and state by state. We can’t afford to wait.”