As world leaders prepared for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, a team of international scientists released their annual State of the Climate report with an opening line that cuts through diplomatic hedging: “We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The planet’s vital signs are flashing red. The consequences of human-driven alterations of the climate are no longer future threats but are here now.”

The report, published in BioScience and backed by approximately 15,800 scientists worldwide, arrived at a pivotal moment. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at COP30 that the world has “failed to ensure we remain below 1.5°C” and that a temporary overshoot “starting at the latest in the early 2030s—is inevitable.” He called the Paris Climate Accord’s 1.5°C target threshold for atmospheric warming “humanity’s red line,” warning that “even a temporary overshoot will have dramatic consequences.”

The question now isn’t whether we’ll face consequences—we already are. How severe they will become and what we do about them remains to be seen. Each of us can take steps to help limit the impact on our lives, our children and grandchildren’s future, and the natural world.

Data That Demands Attention

Of the 34 planetary vital signs scientists track, 22 are at record levels in 2025. The year 2024 was the hottest on record, likely warmer than any period in 125,000 years, according to the report. More concerning is that warming is accelerating. Reduced aerosol emissions—typically a public health benefit—have paradoxically removed particles that were masking warming. Combined with changes in cloud behavior and declining planetary reflectivity, Earth is now absorbing more solar energy than most models predicted.

The consequences ripple across every system. Fire-related tree cover loss hit an all-time high. In tropical primary forests alone, fire-related losses increased 370% in a single year, from 0.69 million hectares in 2023 to 3.2 million hectares in 2024. Ocean heating reached record levels, driving the largest coral bleaching event ever documented, which affected 84% of the world’s reef area. Scientists now say warm-water coral reefs have passed their thermal tipping point, and only restoration programs can bring these critical ecosystems back—perhaps only after we start to cool the oceans.

Meanwhile, both Greenland and Antarctic ice masses fell to record lows, and research suggests the ice sheets may have already crossed critical tipping points that will lead to several meters of sea-level rise regardless of future emissions.

Humanity Already Paying A High Price

The report catalogs what accelerating climate change looks like in human terms. In January, wildfires that swept through Los Angeles caused at least $250 billion in damage—the total is still being counted. A single overnight flash flood in Texas killed at least 135 people, one of the deadliest single-night disasters in the state’s history. Typhoon Yagi swept Southeast Asia, killing more than 800 people at a cost of $14.7 billion. A European heatwave contributed to an estimated 1,500 additional deaths in just 10 days.

Since 2000, climate-related disasters have cost approximately $18.5 trillion globally. The communities hit hardest are disproportionately those least responsible for emissions, which the report explicitly calls a climate justice issue.

COP30: Progress, But Not Enough

Against this backdrop, COP30 produced what UN climate chief Simon Stiell called “a turning point for climate ambition.” The summit’s final agreement, the “Global Mutirão,” named for a Brazilian tradition of collective community work, commits countries to mobilizing $1.3 trillion annually for climate action by 2035 and tripling adaptation finance.

Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility, President Lula’s flagship initiative, raised $5.5 billion in initial pledges. Norway committed $3 billion over 10 years. At least 20% of fund resources will go directly to Indigenous peoples and local communities—a recognition of what the summit declaration acknowledged: “Indigenous Peoples remind us that the health of our lands, waters, and skies is inseparable from the health of our communities, our economies, and our shared future.”

Yet gaps remain. The formal negotiations failed to establish a clear roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels—despite pushback from more than 80 countries seeking stronger language. “I cannot pretend that COP30 has delivered everything that is needed,” Guterres acknowledged. “The gap between where we are and what science demands remains dangerously wide.”

The World Resources Institute’s assessment was blunt: “COP30 delivered breakthroughs to triple adaptation finance and protect the world’s forests… But many will leave Belém disappointed that negotiators couldn’t agree to develop a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels.”

What the Science Says We Can Do

The State of the Climate report doesn’t dwell on alarm; it encourages people to take action. As the authors write: “From forest protection and renewables to plant-rich diets, we can still limit warming if we act boldly and quickly.”

The good news is that humanity is taking positive steps, though not at the pace needed:

Energy transition: Solar and wind generation have become the cheapest power sources in history. Renewables accounted for 96% of new U.S. electricity generation capacity installed in 2024, though post-Trump II cuts have curtailed U.S. growth. Meanwhile, the rest of the world, led by China, races ahead with investments in solar, wind, and geothermal energy. At their current pace of installation, renewables could supply 70% of global electricity by 2050. Following the conclusion of COP30, the UN’s Stiell pointed to this hopeful financial trend: investments in renewable energy now outpace those in fossil fuels by two to one, calling it “A political and market signal that cannot be ignored.”

Forest protection: Preserving existing ecosystems, particularly South America’s rainforests, is among the highest-impact interventions available. And Brazilian Amazon deforestation declined by 30% in the past year to an 11-year low, suggesting that effective policy and enforcement can reverse destructive trends. The COP30 summit’s forest finance initiatives, if implemented, could make the economics of deforestation untenable.

Food systems: Roughly 40% of food produced globally is lost or wasted, accounting for up to 10% of annual global carbon emissions. Reducing this waste can improve food security while curtailing warming. The report suggests that plant-rich diets could reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 8.0 billion tons (about one-fifth of current planet-warming output) annually by 2050.

Social tipping points: The report also emphasizes that sustained activism by just 3.5% of a population can trigger transformative policy changes. Surveys reveal most people support strong climate action but mistakenly believe they’re in the minority. Connecting people to help them see beyond this climate concern perception gap may unlock transformative changes in national policies worldwide.

The Future Is In Our Hands

“The window to prevent the worst outcomes is rapidly closing,” the scientists write. But closing is not closed.

Every fraction of a degree matters. At 1.5°C, which we are approaching now, between 70% and 90% of coral reefs are severely degraded. But at 2°C, coral losses reach 99%. The difference between these scenarios will be measured by policy choices, investment decisions, and individual actions taken now.

The State of the Climate report concludes with a statement that reads less like scientific analysis and more like a timely ethical appeal: “The future is still being written. Through choices in policy, investment, education, and care for one another and the Earth, we can still create a turning point.”

That turning point begins with informed action. It doesn’t start in Congress, it will be ingited by citizen action that becomes a cultural trend. The science is clear, the tools exist, and the costs of action are far lower than the costs of inaction. What’s needed now is the collective will to use them.

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What You Can Do Today:

1. Reduce food waste — Plan meals, use what you buy, compost what you can’t. This single action addresses one of the highest-impact personal interventions.
2. Shift toward plant-forward eating — You don’t have to go fully vegetarian; even reducing meat consumption makes a measurable difference.
3. Support renewable energy — Whether through your utility’s green power options, community solar, or advocating for local clean energy policies.
4. Talk about it — Research shows most people support climate action but think they’re alone. Breaking that perception gap is itself a form of climate action.

The 2025 State of the Climate report is available at BioScience. To sign the scientists’ declaration or learn more, visit the Alliance of World Scientists.