Oregon-led report calls for action as climate change accelerates

Climate change is bleak, it’s accelerating and it’s affecting lives around the globe — but it’s not too late to prevent the worst, according to a report led by Oregon State University researchers that’s drawing notice from around the world.

The annual “State of the Climate Report,” published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal BioScience, describes abrupt changes that threaten “life on Earth like nothing humans have ever seen,” according to coauthor William Ripple, professor in the OSU College of Forestry.

But Ripple also described these challenges as a call for action, not despair.

Ripple and other scientists from institutions across the globe have been tracking 35 planetary vital signs since 2019, like human heat deaths, sea ice levels and global tree cover — and 25 of those vital signs are now at record extremes.

“It’s already too late to avoid all climate change, but every fraction of a degree that we avoid will save countless lives,” Ripple told OPB. “So it’s really important now more than ever to do what we can to mitigate the climate change disasters that we’re seeing.”

The report was released as rescue crews continued responding to Hurricane Helene’s devastation in the southeastern United States and while millions of Floridians fled their homes ahead of Hurricane Milton, and it detailed more than a dozen climate disasters that have unfolded around the globe in the past year.

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Abnormal snow and rain near the Black Sea, wildfires in Chile, extreme heat in North Africa, heavy rain in the Persian Gulf and East Africa, heat waves in India and Saudi Arabia, flooding in Brazil and other climate-affected events affected millions of people and killed thousands. More than 2,300 people died from heat in the U.S. over the year.

And while the Northwest was not among the worst-hit regions, Ripple emphasized that the region is not immune to climate disaster.

In 2020, wildfires turned skies orange and burned thousands of Oregon homes. A 2021 heat dome broke numerous records, with Portland reaching 116 degrees Fahrenheit, and caused close to a hundred deaths in Oregon. And while fewer people lost lives and homes this year, summer heat and fires continued to break records.

“Oregon is characterized by having extensive forests — we’re known for our trees, and we need to think about those trees in terms of climate change,” Ripple said. “The trees are really important for sequestering carbon, so they are very good tools for mitigating climate change. But at the same time, we are threatened by ever increasing forest fires. These wildfires can have devastating effects — with the heat waves and the droughts that go along with climate change.”

While the report issued this week paints a picture of ongoing devastation that likely will grow still worse, Ripple said people should not give up.

“It’s always good for individuals to think about their own personal carbon footprint, and that is great if people want to try to lower their carbon footprint. But what I advise people to do, if they’re interested in certain aspects of climate change, is to get active in the political process in terms of supporting candidates that align with their values and vote. Becoming active politically can be one of the best ways to harness individual efforts for a climate.”

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That message, as well as the catalog detailed in this week’s report, is garnering more attention around the globe than after previous climate reports, Ripple said, with media in Europe, Canada and elsewhere taking greater note than in previous years. Many have led their news broadcasts and homepages with these findings.

Ripple said he hopes the increase in interest translates into action when the U.N Framework Convention on Climate Change convenes in Azerbaijan next month.