Climate change is spiralling out of control: Damning report reveals how 22 of Earth's 34 'vital signs' are at record highs - as scientists warn 'time is running out'

Bill Gates , but scientists beg to differ in a new report, which warns Earth is 'hurtling towards climate chaos'. In their damning verdict, they say Earth is on a trajectory leading to a 'fundamentally different planet with devastating impacts on natural systems and humanity'. In all, 22 out of 34 of Earth's vital signs signals giving a snapshot of the health of our planet are now 'flashing red' at record levels, they reveal. These include the continued accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, loss of sea ice and glaciers, rising land and sea temperatures, fossil fuel usage, and ocean acidification. The international team of authors point to another year of devastating events linked to , which include the , floods and the European heatwaves. They warn that the consequences of human-driven alterations to the climate 'are no longer future threats but are here now' as almost every corner of the world is 'reeling from intensifying heat, storms, floods, droughts and fires'. Time is running out to combat the accelerating climate crisis, which is accelerating at an 'alarming rate' and pushing our planet to 'the brink'. One of the authors, Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in , called climate change an 'unprecedented threat'. 'The last few years have seen vital signs breaking their records by extraordinary margins,' he said. The sixth annual report, published today in the journal , is authored by an international coalition led by Oregon State University scientists. Among the 22 vital signs, greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are all on the rise, which go hand-in-hand with the rise in the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Energy consumption is climbing and there's more ruminant livestock and meat production huge sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Human population has soared past the eight billion mark, putting further strain on the planet, while other worrying vital signs are temperature at Earth's surface, ocean acidity (lower pH) and higher sea levels. Many of the remaining 12 vital signs that aren't at record levels are approaching record levels, such as loss of tree cover and minimum Arctic sea ice. The report cites another 12 months of evidence that Earth is seriously ailing and on a downward path towards total devastation. By August 2025, the European Union's wildfire season was already the most extensive on record, with more than one million hectares burned. Deadly and costly weather disasters surged in 2024 and 2025, with killing at least 135 people and Typhoon Yagi killing more than 800 people in Southeast Asia. The Los Angeles wildfires at the start of the year showed that even the rich and famous are not immune to climate change. Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Eugene Levy were among the big names whose homes were burnt by the disaster, with total caused damages in excess of $250 billion. and likely the hottest in at least 125,000 years but 2025 could even beat this record. What's more, Earth's major system of ocean currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Overturning Circulation (AMOC) , the authors point out If it weakens past a certain point, it would mean much of the northern hemisphere, including Europe and North America, could experience harsh, freezing cold winters. Despite the report's ominous findings, it's not too late to limit the damage' even if we miss the temperature mitigation goal set by the Paris Agreement. Citing data from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the report proposes several 'high-impact' strategies to bring Earth back from the brink, which include more renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal and hydrothermal, as opposed to fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Last year, combined solar and wind consumption set a new record but it was 31 times lower than fossil fuel energy consumption, which hit a record high in 2024. The team also urge governments to protect and restore their forests and green spaces, which are being cleared to make way for buildings and livestock. Because trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), they are a natural weapon in the fight against global warming, but without them the climate crisis is compounded further. Green ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, mangroves, and peatlands could remove or avoid around 10 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions per year by 2050, which is equivalent to roughly 25 per cent of current annual emissions Another overlooked strategy is reducing food loss and waste, which currently accounts for up to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the team say. Also, shifting toward more plant-based diets can also substantially lower methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas emitted by livestock reared for meat. 'The human enterprise is in a state of ecological overshoot where the Earth's resources are being consumed faster than they can be replenished,' said co-lead author Christopher Wolf at Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates (TERA). 'Population, livestock, meat consumption and gross domestic product are all at record highs, with an additional 1.3 million humans and half a million ruminant livestock animals added every week.'