Scientists warn climate entering 'uncharted territory' as fossil fuel subsidies soar

The news: A global team of climate scientists has warned that the Earth's climate is heading into "uncharted territory" as surface temperatures break new records and policymakers increase subsidies for fossil fuel production.

The numbers: Global fossil fuel subsidies have roughly doubled between 2021 and 2022 from USD531 billion ($835 billion) to more than USD1 trillion, according to the scientists, who published their findings in a report in the BioScience journal. There have been 38 days in 2023 with recorded temperatures more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the report said, while recent Earth surface temperatures may have been the highest in 100,000 years. The scientists also noted that 20 of 35 identified planetary vital signs are at record extremes.

The context: The study's authors warned of "ecological overshoot", when human demand on natural resources is too large, resulting in a range of environmental crises, including extreme weather events and biodiversity decline. They said strategies needed to focus on more than just carbon or climate to avoid catastrophes from severe heat, food availability and higher mortality. They recommend the curtailing of excess consumption and fossil fuel subsidies, encouraging a transition to plant-based diets, improving forest protection, eliminating coal use and signing non-proliferation treaties on fossil fuels.

What they said: "The trends indicate the need to drastically speed and scale up efforts globally to combat climate change while more generally reducing our ecological footprint," Dr Thomas Newsome from the University of Sydney's Global Ecology Lab said in a statement.