David Voigts.

We are on the brink of an irreversible global disaster that will imperil the very fabric of life on Earth according to “The 2024 State of the Climate Report” that was published recently in the peer-reviewed journal BioScience. This stark conclusion was the result of a study that tracked 35 planetary vital signs, of which 25 were at record extremes. Included in the record setters were surface air temperature, global tree cover loss due to fires, jurisdictions that declared a climate emergency, and U.S. heat-related deaths.

The authors also found a surge in yearly climate disasters that show we are in a major crisis with worse to come if we continue with business as usual. Climate change has the potential to displace hundreds of millions or even billions of people. Furthermore, by the end of the century, one-third of the world’s people could be outside the human climate niche resulting in increased famine, illness, and early death. This could lead to greater geopolitical instability and even international conflict.

The authors believe that this dire future can be avoided by political leadership that includes keeping fossil fuels in the ground, reducing overconsumption and waste, and protecting and restoring ecosystems. Vote wisely.

David Voigts is a retired ecologist and the current Conservation Chair for the Prairie Rapids Audubon Society. He is a Tama County native, graduating from Dinsdale High School, and lives in rural Jesup on his wife’s family farm.